Manchester City ended a dramatic and historic season by beating Inter Milan 1-0 to win the Champions League for the first time in their history and completing the treble on Saturday.
Things were looking bad for both teams in the first. But Spanish midfielder Rodri’s sensational goal in the 68th minute boosted their confidence and led to the huge achievement.
Inter almost levelled with City when a header by substitute Romelu Lukaku was saved by Ederson.
In being named the champions of Europe, they matched the treble achieved by Manchester United in 1999 by lifting the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League titles.
City manager Pep Guardiola has now won the Champions League three times and took his trophy count with City to 12. He is also the only coach to win the continental treble twice in their lifetime, the first one was back in 2009.
However, it was far from an effortless City performance against a tireless Inter side that looked capable of causing a shock.
City were quiet in the first half and their fans were reduced to near silence at times as the nerves became cold.
After Kevin de Bruyne was off injured, City eventually struggled to create chances and were unstable at the defence but in the end, Rodri came to the rescue.
Although Lautaro Martinez as well as Lukaku made two crucial shots, which could have changed the whole scenario, the bar and the incredible save by Ederson played a vital role in tackling those.
City manager, Pep Guardiola said, “Tired. Calm. Satisfied. It’s so difficult to win it. They are really good. Be patient, I said at half-time”.
Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan, “Unbelievable. Difficult to put in words. Today we made history.”
“It was probably a 50-50 game. We feel very fortunate it was for us. We knew everyone was talking about the treble. The pressure was there, but this team is built to handle the pressure in the best possible way.”
On Saturday, City’s joyous fans celebrated the major trophy won by their favourite club. The celebration was even more joyous due to the fact that not only did Manchester City win the Champions League Trophy, but they also won the entire treble, which included the Premiere League and the FA Cup.
Guardiola’s side did badly their lines in Porto two years ago when losing to Chelsea in the Champions League final a defeat which was mainly blamed on Guardiola’s tactics.
Not only, he and his players delivered their best to win the Champions League this time, they even deliver the whole treble.