Manchester City beat Inter Milan 1-0 at Istanbul Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday
Manchester City won their first-ever Champions League (CL) title and became only the 10th team in history to complete the treble with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
It was City’s unsung midfield guardian Rodri, who stepped up when the team needed him most to settle a scrappy, evenly matched final with a precisely struck finish from the edge of the penalty box midway through the second half.
With the victory, Man City have finally ended what coach Pep Guardiola admitted was an “obsession” to lift a first Champions League crown after so many near misses since a 2008 takeover by Abu Dhabi’s ruling family transformed them into the richest team in the world.
In doing so, the Premier League and FA Cup winners became the eighth different club and only the second English team — after local rivals Manchester United in 1999 — to claim a historic treble.
“Emotional,” Rodri said. “A dream come true. All these guys around here waited I don’t know how many years. They deserve, we deserve.”
Having lost just once in four months and after sweeping aside holders Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals, Man City went into the game as overwhelming favourites.
But Inter, looking for a cup double after lifting the Coppa Italia, gave City all they could handle.
Simone Inzaghi’s side twice came agonisingly close to equalising, first when Federico Dimarco looped a header against the crossbar and saw his follow-up blocked by teammate Romelu Lukaku and then when Ederson somehow blocked Lukaku’s header from 6 yards out late on.
However, it was City and Guardiola — previously the winner of two Champions League titles and one treble with Barcelona — who held on to celebrate and hold aloft the most coveted trophy in European soccer.