Manchester City clinched their first-ever Champions League trophy with a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan. The winning goal came in the 68th minute from Rodri, the defensive midfielder. It was a curling effort that found the back of the net. The final took place in Istanbul on Saturday night. This triumph also secured a historic treble for Manchester City.
First Half
Inter Milan faced Manchester City in their first-ever competitive fixture on the grandest stage, putting up an aggressive performance to contain Pep Guardiola’s team. Early on, Federico Dimarco’s retreat allowed Bernardo Silva to manoeuvre into the box, but his shot narrowly missed the target. Ederson, City’s goalkeeper, had some shaky moments, and Nicolo Barella’s attempt went wide after Ederson’s pass evaded John Stones.
City responded with a brilliant move that set up Erling Haaland for a shot, but Andre Onana denied him. Unfortunately for City, Kevin De Bruyne suffered another injury and was forced off the field after 36 minutes, reminiscent of the 2021 final.
Second Half
Inter’s resolute defending kept City at bay even without De Bruyne, and they continued to match their opponents valiantly throughout the first half and into the second. Edin Dzeko’s departure was a setback for Inter, but they had a chance to equalize when Manuel Akanji and Ederson misjudged Silva’s back-pass. However, Ederson made an excellent save to deny Lautaro Martínez.
In the 68th minute, Akanji set up Silva, whose cutback deflected off Francesco Acerbi and fell perfectly for Rodri to calmly score his second-ever UEFA Champions League goal. Dimarco came close to equalizing with a header but struck Lukaku instead.
As Inter pushed forward in search of a goal, Phil Foden created space for himself but couldn’t convert his chance. Ederson made a sensational save to deny Lukaku’s header, and Ruben Dias instinctively cleared the ball.
Ederson’s brilliant save from Robin Gosens’ header secured a historic treble for Manchester City, making them the sixth English club to win Europe’s premier competition. The defeat marked only the second loss in Inter’s last 13 fixtures and denied them a fourth UEFA Champions League title. Ultimately, the night belonged to City and their completion of Guardiola’s mission to lift the prestigious trophy he had pursued since joining the club.
