Manchester City wins the Champions League: 3 things we learned
A 1-0 victory against Inter Milan gave the Premier League side the treble
Following years of European heartbreak, Manchester City squeezed out a 1-0 win against Inter Milan on Saturday to win the club’s first-ever Champions League.
The victory gave the Premier League side an historic treble after capturing the league title and FA Cup.
Rodri scored the game’s lone goal in the 68th minute at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, while Ederson made two big saves in the final minutes to thwart Inter Milan’s attempt at a late equalizer.
In the end, Man City was unbeaten in the UCL this season, but that didn’t stop Inter Milan, playing with a very organized back five, from slowing down their opponents’ pace for long stretches of the match and neutralizing their attacking talent.
Here are three things we learned following the final:
3. Italian teams go 0-3 in European finals
Serie A has gone through a renaissance in recent years and reaching the final of UEFA’s three major club competitions is proof of it.
In the end, however, all three Serie A sides (including Roma in the Europa League and Fiorentina in the Conference League) failed to take home any trophies.
“We didn’t deserve to lose,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi told reporters after the game. “We played against a top team, but even Inter played a great final.”
2. Haaland favorite to win the Ballon d’Or
Sure, Lionel Messi still looms large after winning the World Cup with Argentina this past December, but can anyone deny the amazing season Erling Haaland has had this season?
He was virtually invisible in the final, but his 12 goals were enough to make him the top scorer in the Champions League this season and that could help make the case for him to win world soccer’s top individual prize later this year.
For now, Haaland is happy to have won Europe’s top club competition, saying, “I feel unbelievable. In my wildest dreams, I never would have thought of me winning this as a 22 year old.”
1. Is Manchester City’s the best club team ever?
This is a question one must ask whenever a club completes a treble. Whether Man City is the best ever is to be debated. They are certainly the best team in the world at the moment and Saturday’s outcome proves it.
It should be further noted that this is a team that has been built to win it all, even though Guardiola’s side fell short many times in recent years. In fact, billions of dollars have been spent over the past 15 years as the Abu Dhabi-backed club owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan transformed Man City into one of the wealthiest teams in the world.
This victory will also strengthen the case to declare Guardiola the best club coach in European history after winning his third Champions League title — second as coach — and 30th major title overall.
“This final was written in the stars,” Guardiola said. “I am happy but, at the same time, they could have scored and we could have lost. We are satisfied about something unique — winning the treble.”