38
21:39
You can do more with it! Inter quickly bridges the midfield again after a long time and after a successful change of sides, Denzel Dumfries has a lot of time and space on the right side of the penalty area. But somehow the Dutchman can’t bring himself to graduate.
36
21:37
Phil Foden, who was in the starting eleven in City’s last Champions League final in 2021, takes over for De Bruyne, who apparently has muscular problems.
36
21:36
Phil Foden comes on at Manchester City
36
21:36
Manchester City make Kevin De Bruyne a substitute
34
21:36
Inter have now withdrawn a bit and don’t bother City so early anymore. As a result, the English champions often get into the last third, but they don’t go any further there. And now the Citizens obviously have to change, because De Bruyne can’t go any further.
31
21:32
While Kevin De Bruyne needs treatment on the pitch, Pep Guardiola calls his players and has something to say to each one. Meanwhile, things seem to be going on with the Belgian playmaker.
29
21:30
The Haaland chance was the starting signal for a two-minute long offensive by the Skyblues. First Kevin De Bruyne fails from a distance at Onana, then Jack Grealish misses the cross in a very promising position on the left of the box.
27
21:29
Suddenly the chance for City! De Bruyne has a bit of space centrally in front of the penalty area and immediately puts it through for Haaland. The Norwegian is pushed slightly to the outside by Bastoni, then closes with the left half-up and fails at the well-positioned André Onana.
26
21:27
Ederson is kinda off the mark. Now the Citizens’ keeper plays an inaccurate ball into midfield after a back pass and finds Inter’s Barella. He wants to send the leather straight into the deserted goal from 40 meters, but completely abandons his attempt.
24
21:25
When Dimarco got stuck in midfield after a collision and the game continued with a City chance, things got a little hectic for the first time. Inter coach Simone Inzaghi is also raging on the sidelines and has to be calmed down by the referees. So far, Marciniak and Co. have the game well under control.
22
21:23
Pep Guardiola paces nervously outside and now even covers his face with his hands. His Skyblues seem nervous here, don’t find their way into their game at all and have so far let Inter buy their guts.
20
21:22
The next weak pass from the Citizens is intercepted by Federico Dimarco and the counterattack runs again. After a one-two with Martínez, Brozović takes a shot from afar, but clearly misses the goal.
17
21:17
City is quite impressed by the Milanese’s performance so far. Inter is incredibly present in the duels, looks a bit more lively and defensively allows little. After winning the ball, the Italians always go forward quickly.
14
21:15
Another good phase from Inter: After Dimarco crossed, Barella got the first corner of the game against Aké on the right. However, the execution does not lead to a conclusion.
12.
21:13
Keeper Ederson seems a bit nervous. The usually ball-safe Brazilian first plays a pass directly into the touch and then lets an arc lamp flop down on the baseline next to the goal, so that Lautaro Martínez gets the ball. However, the ball bounces outwards and it is not dangerous.
10
21:11
The Nerazzurri let City play for the most part, but are always close to the ball and grab as soon as it could become a threat. When there is suddenly space after winning the ball, Çalhanoğlu pushes with speed and Dimarco crosses from the left, but Stones clears with a header.
8th.
21:08
The Citizens now have a lot of ball possession and let the leather circulate through their own ranks. Inter have to invest a lot against the ball, but so far they have mostly been successful in pushing the spaces in midfield.
5.
21:07
City is slowly starting to combine and it’s already getting dangerous. With five games, the Skyblues penetrate the penalty area, Bernardo Silva takes the shot from an acute angle and flicks the ball past the left gable by a hair’s breadth.
3.
21:04
First little excitement: After City won the ball in midfield, De Bruyne sends Haaland into the box with a plug-in pass and the Norwegian chases the thing over the goal from an acute angle. But the flag goes up because Haaland was just offside when the ball was passed.
2.
21:03
Inter starts boldly, drives the first attack down the right side and then consistently blocks the Citizens’ kick.
1.
21:01
The ball rolls! City plays in light blue and white as usual, Inter also wear classic black and blue.
20:58
The famous anthem of the Champions League will be heard for the last time this season, this time performed live on the piano. Previously, the former Bundesliga professional Hamit Altintop, in his capacity as ambassador, brought the coveted handle pot to the stadium, which will be between Manchester City and Inter Milan in a few minutes!
20:55
Slowly but surely things are getting serious in Istanbul! The colorful and musically underlined opening ceremony has just ended and the teams are ready to march into the Atatürk Olympic Stadium.
20:51
This year, however, the referee of the final caused a stir long before kick-off. The experienced Polish FIFA referee Szymon Marciniak, who recently refereed the World Cup final between Argentina and France, was criticized after two weeks ago at an event organized by the far-right politician Slawomir Mentzen from the “Konfederacja” party as guest speaker had appeared. Marciniak subsequently apologized, claiming to have been “misled” and “unaware” of the “true nature” of the event. UEFA then decided against a rescheduling. Marciniak’s compatriots Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz are on duty today as assistants, while Tomasz Kwiatkowski is checking the video images.
20:47
One thing was already going much better than last year – at least based on what we know so far. At that time, great chaos broke out at the entrance to the Stade de France in Paris, there were over 200 injuries and a number of Liverpool fans came late or not at all to the stadium, so that the game started later than planned. Today the stadium is packed well before kick-off, the atmosphere is great and there are no reports of major problems.
20:43
England vs. Italy in Istanbul – was there something? Correct! The last time a Champions League final was held in the Turkish metropolis was 18 years ago, and Liverpool FC faced Inter’s local rivals AC Milan. The game went down in history as the “Miracle of Istanbul” after the Reds turned back a 3-0 deficit to win the title on penalties.
20:41
City coach Pep Guardiola, who after two triumphs with FC Barcelona could not win the premier class with Bayern, now wants to lift the handle pot again in the second attempt with his Citizens. “It doesn’t matter whether we’re the favorites or not. What matters is that we bring the absolute best performance to the pitch tomorrow,” demanded the Spaniard in the PK for the final and made it clear: “We’re ready.”
20:37
The record of their coach also speaks for the Italians. Simone Inzaghi has amassed a vast collection of titles in just seven years as head coach and has consistently impressed, particularly in finals. His clubs Lazio and Inter have played for and won a title seven times. What do you need for these big moments? “Fitness, mentality and heart,” said Inzaghi, who promised: “We will fight for every inch of the pitch for an excellent game.”
20:30
But Inter City has one thing ahead of it. The Nerazzurri have already won the famous treble of Champions League, national championship and domestic cup once before, in 2010 under José Mourinho. The Skyblues could become the eighth team to pull off that particular hat-trick today. In addition to Inter, Celtic Glasgow, Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United have each done it once, and FC Barcelona and FC Bayern twice.
20:26
Inter had problems in the league and was only able to secure another Champions League qualification in the final sprint. In the premier class, the Nerazzurri had at least left FC Barcelona behind in the group phase, but then did not necessarily get the biggest chunks with FC Porto, Benfica Lisbon and local rivals AC Milan. City is different: The Skyblues confidently defended their Premier League title from behind and in the knockout phase of the Champions League after RB Leipzig, with FC Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, eliminated two top contenders for the title in an impressive way.
20:15
It’s been 15 years since the financiers from Abu Dhabi got involved with Manchester City. Since then, the club has won a number of national titles, especially in the seven-year era under Pep Guardiola. But the Citizens have never been able to win the title in the premier class, which has always been the target. They came very close in 2021 but lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final. Now it should finally work with the handle pot and the chances are better than ever. At least if you look at how the two clubs reached this final and how they have performed nationally this season.
20:05
At Inter there was speculation as to whether coach Simone Inzaghi would dare to call on two real strikers against strong citizens and in anticipation of many defensive tasks. The answer is yes. Edin Džeko storms alongside Lautaro Martínez, who recently played brilliantly. Federico Dimarco and Denzel Dumfries work the wings, Robin Gosens initially sits on the bench. Çalhanoğlu, Brozović and Barella are supposed to keep the center tight.
20:04
Just a look at the line-ups: At City it is noticeable that Kyle Walker is only sitting on the bench. The Englishman sat out for a short time during the week with back problems, but reported himself fit in time. Nevertheless, Guardiola lets Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké play alongside Rúben Dias in the back three. Otherwise, the Catalan sends the expected eleven with the recently outstanding İlkay Gündoğan midfield and star striker Erling Haaland on the field.
20:01
City vs Inter. The newly crowned FA Cup winners against the recently crowned Coppa Italia champions. The English champions of the last three seasons against the 2021 Italian champions who subsequently finished second once and third once. There is no doubt that these two teams are not in this final by accident and on paper there are some similarities between the two finalists. Nevertheless, the differences could hardly be greater. After a season of superlatives, the Citizens are the clear favorites going into the match against an aging Milan eleven and want to underpin their status as the best club team in Europe with the Champions League title.
19:59
Hello and welcome to the final of the 2022/23 Champions League season! Who will succeed Real Madrid and be crowned King of Europe? At 9 p.m., Manchester City and Inter Milan will face off at Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium.