A Precarious Yet Fitting Finish: Manchester City Win Their First Champions League
A win a long time in the making…
Saturday night, English giants Manchester City won the UEFA Champions League Final in İstanbul, Turkey. The match was a tight 1–0 win for the Cityzens against Italian side Inter Milan, the first Italian club to reach the European tournament’s final since 2010, when Inter Milan won the competition. While Inter had reached four Champions League Finals prior to Saturday’s match, Manchester City had only played in one- the 2021 final that saw the club narrowly lose to Premier League rivals Chelsea FC.
The match immediately started tense, Inter Milan putting on the pressure as the Sky Blues struggled to maintain long streaks of possession and control the game, as they so often do. To make it worse, around the half-hour mark, Man City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was forced off the pitch with a leg injury: recognized as the heartbeat of Manchester City’s midfield, the Belgian’s untimely exit must have been a massive blow to manager Pep Guardiola’s plans. At the halftime whistle, a 0–0 start was not looking good for an English side accustomed to being one, two and sometimes three goals ahead (especially after their record-breaking season, which puts Inter Milan’s third place finish in Serie A to shame).
The second half started off with a few missed chances for the Italians… and then, all of a sudden, Manchester City were ahead.
Minutes after the hour mark, midfielder Bernardo Silva sent a pass into Inter Milan’s box, a supposed handball forcing all Man City players to immediately raise their hands in protest as the Inter Milan defenders stopped. Amidst the confusion, Rodri sprinted into the box and caught the loose ball, finding a slight opening between two Inter defenders and the outside of the post to score and send Manchester City fans around Atatürk Olympic Stadium and the world into delirium.
Inter Milan had many opportunities to equalize, including a gift of an opportunity a mere minute after the goal and a second Lukaku header towards the end of the match- but in the end, the Manchester side took care of business to win the club its first ever Champions League title and complete the treble (Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League).
While the game turned out to be much closer than expected, it was nonetheless a strong display from the Manchester City squad, who proved that they can finish out a game at the highest of stages even when they may not be at their absolute best. The result also sends a message to the rest of the world: after only twenty years of first division existence, Manchester City is legit (for lack of a better term) and is ready to punish any club that comes its way, not least Man City’s rivals Manchester United, the only other English club to ever win a treble.
With key players like İlkay Gündoğan and Bernardo Silva rumored to be making an exit this summer, while veterans like De Bruyne may be leaving their prime, Manchester City will certainly look different in the coming years, if not months and weeks. Nonetheless, young stars like Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, and indeed the incredible coaching magician Josep Guardiola, are not likely to leave anytime soon. So Manchester City’s future is in good hands.
You know what else is in good hands?
