‘’My dream is in your hands….so no pressure’: Kyle Walker’s pep talk
Manchester City announce the team sheet and Kyle Walker starts on the bench. The wing back had put in an incredible performance in his matchup against Vinicius Jr. in City’s semifinal win against Real Madrid. Guardiola denies that it is owing to a back problem Walker had complained about earlier this week. “It was really tough because Kyle is so important for us but for the way we want to defend, the way we want to attack, we need another type of player. That is the only reason why,” the City manager tells BT Sport ahead of the kickoff.
Rio Ferdinand on BT: “He will be absolutely fuming inside. I can imagine the blood will be boiling. He’s been integral to them getting here. That game against Real Madrid he was outstanding, both legs.”
Kyle Walker (post-match): “I’m always going to be disappointed when I’m not playing. I’m 33 now and my example sets on to the younger lads so I made a speech before they went out. I was true to my words and it was emotional but this club means so much to me. I told them, “My dream is your hands … so no pressure!”
"Put any drink in front of me, I'm gonna destroy it!" 😂
An emotional Kyle Walker cannot wait to celebrate Man City's win tonight!#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/X2ANZt66Ns
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 10, 2023
First half
‘We have to try to defend. I don’t know how’: Guardiola’s premonition comes true
Inter are pressing higher than usual. The team is used to defending deep and inviting pressure but given City’s attacking repertoire in the final third that may be a little too much. Three Inter players trying to suppress City’s possession game at the halfway line with manager Simone Inzaghi gesticulating in the technical area like an orchestra lead. The City manager had seen this coming though.
Advertisement
Guardiola in the pre-match press conference: (When asked who will be the most difficult Inter player) The way they play. High pressing, Onana is an exceptional goalkeeper to take the position to build-up. The process they do with Bastoni on the left side especially is exceptional. And after that, the quality they have to link with the strikers, the ability for an extra pass. We have to try to defend, I don’t know how, but defend these connections.”
"The tactics of inter Milan are on point."
Thierry Henry discusses what Inter Milan are doing well. ⚫️ 🔵 pic.twitter.com/tNhm81xc65
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 10, 2023
‘I was really nervous….I felt it in my stomach today’: Erling Haaland
City lose possession inside their own half and Ederson is caught in a compromising position off his line but Nicollo Barella is unable to find the target from 40-45 yards out. “Relax!” one can lip read the City manager shouting from the touchline. At the other end – almost immediately – Erling Haaland has a chance to lace his boots from the left but he shoots it straight at the Inter goalkeeper, Onana, who is able to boot it away. That’s the second time Haaland has found himself in that position, having blasted over the previous attempt.
Erling Haaland (post match): “Today was a difficult game. I went close a couple of times in the first half. On a good day, I could have scored two goals.” To CBS, he adds “I was really nervous, I felt it in my stomach today.”
"Why are they always asking these awkward questions."@ErlingHaaland can't handle @Carra23 and @MicahRichards 😂 pic.twitter.com/Zm6khiPeqH
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 10, 2023
My hamstring, it snapped: Kevin De Bruyne on being forced off
Advertisement
Kevin De Bruyne goes down and the medics are in. It looks like the Belgian has picked up a hamstring injury. Phil Foden removes his substitute bib and is warming up but De Bruyne continues. It takes only four minutes before City’s chief playmaker raises his hand to signify that it’s time. One has to feel for him. In 2021 – his first Champions League final – it was a blow to his face that prematurely ended his game. Two years later, he’s forced off again. Erling Haaland consoles him on his way out. Foden comes on for City.
Chris Sutton on BBC Radio 5 (at halftime): “Phil Foden is a fantastic player but any team in the world would miss Kevin de Bruyne.”
"It's been a hard two months for me with my hamstring!"
Kevin De Bruyne talks injury troublespic.twitter.com/HFhglh0goj
— ManCityzens (@ManCityzenscom) June 10, 2023
De Bruyne to BT Sport (post match): “It’s been a hard two months for me, I’ve had a lot of issues with my hamstring. It snapped. It’s a shame because I felt really good in the first half an hour, and I felt I was doing well.”
Halftime: Man City 0-0 Inter
Second half
‘That’s something you can’t prepare for’: Joleon Lescott on Guardiola sinking down on his knees
City lose possession in their defensive third and Lautaro Martinez is set loose on the inward left channel. Ederson has to come off his line to defend. The Argentine waits and then pulls the trigger from a tight angle but the City number one blocks it. Pep Guardiola is down on his knees. Meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku is on for Edin Dzeko, as has been the blueprint for Inter of late.
Joleon Lescott on BT Sport: “That’s something you can’t prepare for. All the tactical plan that Pep has in his head, you can’t prepare for a break like that.”
Pep Guardiola cam is the next big innovation in football broadcastingpic.twitter.com/nH95UEVlGf
— Football Report (@FootballReprt) June 10, 2023
Martinez (post-match): “I think we had the match under control because City were not dominating us.”
Advertisement
I was playing sh*t to be honest: Rodri on his final before the goal
In the 68th minute, Manuel Akanji sets Bernardo Silva down the inward right channel. A cut back in the middle and a deflection off Matteo Darmian later, Rodri finds himself in position to pounce. A low curling effort in the bottom corner and City take the lead.
Advertisement
Rodri to BT Sport (post match): “I wasn’t good in the first half, I was playing sh*t to be honest. And then I just said to myself you have to overcome this mentality and I scored the goal.”
Joleon Lescott on BT Sport: “That’s a huge goal in this club’s history: the composure he showed. Credit to Akanji driving forward, with a delicate pass to Bernardo Silva.”
Rodri pashun, Clive commentary, I got my joy back man pic.twitter.com/nvYLf1Z03Q
— A🥀 (@InformST) June 11, 2023
The ball just didn’t want to go in: Federico Dimarco on Inter’s fate
Advertisement
Almost immediately, Inter come inches close to leveling the game. Federico Dimarco’s looping header from the edge of the six-yard box hits the crossbar before falling in perfectly for the 25-year-old wing-back, who decides to head again. Only this time, it is blocked by his completely unwitting teammate, Romelu Lukaku. “Unfortunately the ball just didn’t want to go in,” Dimarco sighs post-match.
Unreal save by Romelo Lukaku pic.twitter.com/z9zIzQdfgw
— Al Imran (@blackwhiteimran) June 10, 2023
‘He’s gonna have to live with that’: Thierry Henry on Lukaku’s miss
Marcelo Brozovic’s delivery into the box from the right, Robin Gosens heads it in from the left, Romelu Lukaku – unchallenged, at the edge of the six yard box – heads it from point blank range but his shot is too close down the middle for Ederson to save it with a quick shuffle of the left knee. Shades of Belgium’s final World Cup group stage fixture where the forward had missed a couple of close-ranged chances with his team requiring to score in order to progress. Inter have created an Expected Goals rate of 1.77 as compared to City’s 0.94, and yet haven’t been able to score.
I mean🤷🏿 in what world does Lukaku miss this? 🚮🚮🚮 pic.twitter.com/aXII9lxYmG
— Nondaba (@AneleZo30102863) June 10, 2023
Thierry Henry on CBS (post-match): “He (Lukaku) is gonna have to go through exactly what he went through after the FIFA World Cup. Although I think it was a tough one with [Federico] Dimarco, people will still blame him. The header in the six-yard box will come back to haunt him. He’s gonna have to live with that.”
Inter chairman Steven Xhang: “Romelu has shown great attachment to Inter/ He’s an incredible guy. But he has a contract with Chelsea, so we’ll have to talk to them and figure out what to do.”
Fulltime: Man City 1-0 Inter
‘It was destiny for us to win here’: Ilkay Gundogan on winning UCL in Turkey
After an emotional few minutes, the Manchester City players take to the podium and wait for their captain to bring the fabled silverware their way. He’s a story in himself tonight. Ilkay Gundogan’s grandfather had moved from Balikesir, Turkey to the Ruhr region in Germany to work as a miner. The German footballer – whose father also grew up in Turkey – hasn’t shied away from speaking about his family origins, even if it has led to the German fans whistling him on field. As it happened in 2018 after Gundogan and Mesut Ozil posed for a photo alongside polarising head of state Recep Erdogan during his visit to London. “Are we supposed to be impolite to the president of our families’ homeland?” How fitting that he gets to lift his and City’s first Champions League trophy in the Turkish capital.
Gundogan (post match): “It’s particularly special for me to win here. My family are from Turkey. My parents and grandparents live in Turkey. I come here every year. Perhaps it was destiny for us to win here today.”
"Today we made history!" 🤩
Ilkay Gundogan talks to @TheDesKelly after winning the treble! 🏆🏆🏆#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/8mCAdEm6eL
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 10, 2023
‘This competition is a coin toss’: Pep Guardiola’s cathartic words
Also ReadMan City vs Inter Highlights, Champions League Final: Rodri scores as Pep…
With treble secured, Pep Guardiola breathes soul into Manchester City's p…
India face Vanuatu with an eye on final
Man City vs Inter Live Streaming, UEFA Champions League Final: When and w…
It’s taken him 12 years to do so but Pep Guardiola has won the Champions League once again. Twice before as manager with Barcelona. Not to forget, a second time he’s managed a treble-winning team. It’s what City had brought him for. The one trophy that was missing from their cabinet – one they had come awfully close to winning over the years – is now theirs.
"It's the funniest show in the Champions League this season…"
Pep Guardiola is a fan of @Kate_Abdo's intros as he joins the crew to reflect on the treble. 💙 pic.twitter.com/HhQjUAYTnY
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) June 10, 2023
Post match, almost in a state of catharsis, the Spaniard concedes to BT Sport, “Tired, calm, satisfied of course … this fucking trophy, it’s so difficult to win it. It’s a question of being patient and you have to be lucky. At the end, Ederson … he could have missed it, they could have been level. This competition is a coin-toss.” Jamie Carragher at CBS asks him, what’s been tougher, Premier League or this one? Pat comes the reply, “Well I am a master at winning the Premier League….”. His former pupil at Barcelona, Thierry Henry exclaims, “Drop the mic, drop the mic!”
