Izuchukwu Okosi
Manchester City on Saturday evening completed a treble in the 2022/2023 season after beating Inter Milan 1-0 in the final of the UEFA Champions League.
The Champions League battle was the first ever meeting between Manchester City and Inter Milan and the triumph was Pep Guardiola’s third in the competition after winning it twice while at former club Barcelona.
It was the first time the first competitive meeting between two sides has been in a Champions League final since Liverpool faced AC Milan in 2005, also played at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
Silva was inches away from putting City ahead in the sixth minute.
The Portuguese cut inside from the right flank and into the inside channel. Dimarco allowed him to curl a left-footed strike towards goal and Onana can only watch as it travelled wide of the left post.
Barella seized on a mistake by Ederson and spotted the keeper off his line. He went for a first-time strike, but scuffed his effort well wide of the target.
The first half produced few chances, with Erling Haaland having the best opportunity that he fired straight at Andre Onana.
City were dealt a massive blow when Kevin De Bruyne was forced off with an injury for the second time in a Champions League final.
Akanji left a backpass for Ederson, but Martinez pounced on the loose ball. He tried to beat the City keeper from the angle, but Ederson made a vital stop to deny the Argentine.
Bastoni made a vital interception at the back to prevent Haaland from releasing Foden in the box. It was a rare moment where the Inter defence looked to be breached.
City however broke the deadlock in the 68th minute when Rodri latches onto a loose ball to hammer the ball into bottom left corner.
DiMarco was close to restoring parity moments later but his header was blocked on the six-yard box by second half substitute, Romelu Lukaku.
Ederson denied Gosens who flicked the corner toward with a precise header but met with the City keeper who stuck out a hand and palmed the ball away from danger.
City held on to win the game with the slim margin.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
