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Manchester City beat Inter Milan 1-0 to win club’s first Champions League
- Abu Dhabi-backed City win the first Champions League in their history on Saturday and secure a treble of trophies at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey
- Rodri’s sweetly struck goal seals a third Champions League for City manager Pep Guardiola, who won it twice with Barcelona
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Manchester City finally expanded their domestic domination across the continent as they beat Inter Milan 1-0 with a second-half Rodri goal to win the Champions League for the first time and complete a rare treble on a nervous Saturday evening.
Pre-match talk of a stroll to European football’s most-cherished crown was off the mark, however, and it took a precise Rodri finish after 68 minutes to crack Inter’s resistance.
Even then City’s massed ranks had their heads in their hands as Inter threatened to drag a cagey final into extra time with goalkeeper Ederson making two superb late saves.
An eruption of joy greeted the final whistle with City’s players sprinting towards their fans in the Ataturk Stadium.
“You have to be lucky … It was written in the stars. It belongs to us,” said City manager Pep Guardiola. “With this competition, the treble is so difficult.”
City not only won their first European trophy since claiming the now-defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970, they also became only the second English team to win a treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, matching Manchester United’s sweep in 1999 when City were in the third tier.
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