In this match, the notable change in Man City's lineup was the right-back Kyle Walker sitting on the bench due to not recovering from injury in time. In the first 45 minutes, despite being rated higher, the English champions encountered many difficulties against a solid and calm Inter.
De Bruyne left the field early in the first half due to injury
Man City still had more possession but they could not play attacking football in their own style. The "four" midfielders Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish did not have a good connection with the majority of Inter players playing close and aggressively. This made the number one striker Erling Haaland almost disappear.
The real worry came to coach Pep Guardiola when De Bruyne had to leave the field in the 33rd minute due to injury. This was a big loss for Man City because the Belgian star is considered the soul of the team's playing style.
Rodri's successful shot
Rodri becomes Man City hero
In all fairness, Man City's stalemate in the first half stemmed from a sensible tactic by coach Simone Inzaghi. Inter proactively played with a low formation and waited for counter-attacks thanks to the mobility and excellent blocking of Marcelo Brozovic, Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu in the midfield.
Man City were still stuck in their attack at the beginning of the second half. The English team was almost punished by a careless pass from defender Manuel Akanji, but Lautaro Martinez could not beat goalkeeper Ederson in the face-to-face situation.
Man City's overwhelming happiness
Coach Guardiola makes history
City's pressure finally broke through Inter's defence in the 68th minute with midfielder Rodri running in to finish. The game became exciting after City's opening goal, with Inter responding immediately with Federico Dimarco's header hitting the crossbar.
Breaking the deadlock allowed Guardiola's players to play more freely as Inter were forced to push up their formation. Meanwhile, despite Inter's efforts, luck was not on their side, especially when Romelu Lukaku's close-range header hit goalkeeper Ederson's foot at the end of the match.
Inter's disappointment
A hard-fought victory but enough to bring Man City a celebration with their first Champions League title. This championship helped Man City make history by becoming the first English team to win three titles in one season (Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League). Coach Guardiola himself also made history as the first coach to win the treble twice after doing the same with Barcelona in 2009 and also the 35th championship in his coaching career. Meanwhile, the defeat in Istanbul prevented Inter from winning the top European arena for the second time, but they can still hold their heads high with their journey and performance in this season's Champions League final.
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