Champions of Europe: Now they can say that. Manchester City won the UEFA Champions League to wrap up a historic treble with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday.
[ HISTORY: Manchester City join exclusive club as latest treble winners ]
It wasn’t vintage as City as Simon Inzaghi’s Inter put up a vintage defensive display, full of bite and fury, but Rodri’s vicious strike deep in the second half put City in the driver’s seat.
The Premier League winners three times running had an FA Cup under their belt after beating Manchester United on June 3 and the final jewel in their treble crown arrived Saturday.
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It’s the second treble for Pep Guardiola, who pulled it off with Barcelona in 2008-09. The achievement gives heated rivals United domestic company on the treble stage right down the road.
UEFA Champions League final reaction
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola:
“Tired. Calm. Satisfied. It’s so difficult to win it.
“They are really good. Be patient, I said at half-time. You have to be lucky. Ederson or they miss it, they could draw. This competition is a coin.
…
“Our players have international games now. UEFA and FIFA, think about it. The Premier League finished two or three weeks ago, now people have to come back. It’s too much. We will start from zero next season.
“We’re going to celebrate in the hotel with family and friends. Monday, the parade is in Manchester. With this competition, the treble is so difficult.”
Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan:
“Unbelievable. Difficult to put in words. Today we made history.”
“It was probably a 50-50 game. We feel very fortunate it was for us. We knew everyone was talking about the treble. The pressure was there, but this team is built to handle the pressure in the best possible way.”
Manchester City defender/midfielder John Stones:
“It was the thing we were missing. I feel so pleased. It’s a pleasure to be a part of this team and create this history.
“We’re only the second team [from England] to do the treble. Both are so special in their own rights in different eras. I’m holding words back because I’m on camera, put it that way.
“We’ve set the bar high now. After this season, from where we were in the Premier League, to bring it back, win the FA Cup, then come here and win this, I can’t put it into words.”
…
“I played more like a No. 8 today, which I loved. I’m still learning. I don’t think I’m the best there, but I gave it my all. I thought it paid off. We created chances and there were key moments. Ederson saved that one at the end. Now, we can have a good chat about us actually winning this.”
Manchester City vs Inter Milan as it happened
2nd minute: Inter allowing City the ball and setting up with a 2-3-3-1 shape.
7th minute: Some hard fouls from Inter on Man City, underlined by Francesco Acerbi’s sliding takedown of Erling Haaland. Understandably just fouls but Inter opening the day daring referee Szymon Marciniak, the World Cup Final boss, to show a yellow.
12th minute: Is that a little rust from Ederson under the press of Lautaro Martinez? Inter continues to show some bite early and Jack Grealish is getting a familiar amount of physical opposition.
18th minute: Terrific discipline from Inter who’s been able to oscillate between keeping their shape and aggressive pressing. There’s width there but no regular spaces. If they can keep this up, it’s on for them.
29th minute: Haaland snaps a left-footed shot from a tight angle and Andre Onana stands firm, dipping his arm to block the shot. It stays in play and City put it out for an Inter goal kick. Kevin De Bruyne then lashes a bounding ball into Onana’s arms, and Grealish scuds a tepid effort to the keeper.
36th minute: INJURY SUB. And it’s a big one. De Bruyne can’t go on and it’ll be Phil Foden stepping into the fold with the score 0-0 and 10+ minutes left in the first half. And it’ll be eerily familiar to City supporters, who saw this in the club’s last UCL Final and will hope for a better outcome.
HALFTIME: City was definitely a bit better but the margins are close and Inter will like its chances even more now that De Bruyne has exited the contest. City predictably had 62 percent of the ball and edged the xG battle that half but Inter took four of the game’s seven shots and Onana made the best stop when he got his arm to Haaland’s rip around the half-hour mark. It’s all there for Inter… and City.
50th minute: It’s still City in possession without many obvious openings. Ironically, Onana makes an error to threaten some excitement, but Bernardo Silva is well handled by Inter and Federico Dimarco clears the danger.
56th minute: Enter this storyline –> Former Man United and Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku has been in scoring form and he’s entering for Edin Dzeko.
68th minute: GOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL!! It’s RODRI and it’s 1-0 Manchester City! The treble is on, for the moment as Rodri runs onto a loose ball after Akanji slipped Bernardo Silva on goal and the Portuguese’s cross is blocked into space. Wow. A powerful rip and City’s in front.
71st minute: This should be level! Dimarco pops a header off the cross bar and then his follow-up header doesn’t get to the line because it zips off the leg of his teammate Lukaku. He might’ve been offside if VAR had to take a look at it but warning bells for City who almost fell victim to the honeymoon period after scoring a goal.
77th minute: Foden nearly makes it two! Onana’s on the scene and we’re set for a crazy final few minutes in Turkey.
88th minute: Oh, the minutes are ticking down now. There shouldn’t be too much stoppage time in Istanbul… and WHAT A SAVE! Ederson makes a close-range stop on Lukaku and Ruben Dias gets the rebound wide of the near post. Exhales all over the blue side of Manchester.
90th minute: Lukaku’s got a chance to beat Ederson again, but he drags his left-footed effort wide of the far post. FIVE minutes stoppage time ahead.
FULL TIME: MANCHESTER CITY HAVE WON THE TREBLE.
Rodri goal video: Vicious strike puts Man City in front
How to watch Manchester City vs Inter Milan live, stream link and start time
Dates: 3pm ET June 10, 2023
Online: Live updates via NBCSports.com
How to watch: TUDN, Paramount+
What Premier League clubs have won the treble?
Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in 1998-99.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils are the lone Premier League club to win it.
That’s was it until Saturday.
How many times has the treble been won?
It’s now 10 times in history that a team won its domestic league, top domestic cup, and the European Cup.
Bayern Munich and Barcelona have each done it twice, with Bayern doing it in 2012-13 and 2019-20 and Barca pulling it off in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
Celtic was the first to win a treble, doing it in 1966-67, while Ajax was the next in 1971-72.
PSV Eindhoven then won it in 1987-88 before Man United made it happen 11 years later. Inter Milan is the only Italian team to pull it off, winning in 2009-10.
(UEFA.com)
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Man City (-250) vs Inter Milan (+625) | Draw over 120 mins (+380)
Over 2.5 goals (-160). Under 2.5 goals (+110)
Champions League Final predictions
Joe Prince-Wright: Man City 2-1 Inter Milan
Andy Edwards: Man City 3-1 Inter Milan
Nick Mendola: Man City 2-0 Inter Milan
Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: None
Inter Milan team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Dalbert.
