Manchester City win the Champions League – Inter forgot that the favorite can also have a bad day

Read also: Manchester City is a team to lyrical and cynical of becoming

That’s how it seemed sometimes this season. The strongest team in the world, with the best coach. Erling Haaland in striker (52 goals this year), Kevin De Bruyne in midfield. Won 7-0 against RB Leipzig (five times Haaland) in the round of 16. Real Madrid swept off the field in the semi-finals (4-0), tactically and technically probably the best European match of the year, perhaps in recent years. Winner of the English Premier League and the FA Cup. A team on its way to the first Champions League in club history and the treble, three main prizes in one season, the domain of the greatest. Bayern Munich in 2020 and 2013, FC Barcelona in 2015 and 2009, Internazionale in 2010 and City’s rivals Manchester United in 1999.

Did Inter believe in a win at all? Before the season, the players had not been concerned with the Champions League at all, defender Denzel Dumfries said last week. They had not even become champions of Italy. So that was the first goal. Only goalkeeper Andre Onana, who was bought from Ajax and entered Milan as a reserve keeper, thought otherwise. He was the first to say: we can win the Champions League. And then a few players started to believe in it, especially when the group stage (with FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich) was survived and Inter went round after round. Suddenly in the final. Would it?

Sheik Mansour

With hanging and strangling, the Atatürk stadium (more than 81,000 people) is full at the kick-off. Supporters were called upon to arrive hours in advance to avoid traffic jams and chaotic public transport. Despite this, even the players’ buses on their way to the stadium were stuck in traffic and many people were late to reach the stadium – some got out of taxis on the way and walked the way. Violence such as for last year’s final in Paris did not materialize. At the time, thousands of fans tried to enter with a fake card and the crowding caused life-threatening situations. The police had to use tear gas and the match started more than half an hour later. UEFA wanted to prevent such a scenario above all else this year – and it succeeded.

The most notable fan tries his best not to stand out, wearing a modest light blue and white scarf around the neck. Sheikh Mansour, the owner of Manchester City. Since 2008, but he has hardly ever come to watch a game. The last time was thirteen years ago. It may have to do with his reputation. Mansour is Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family. The latter is an emirate with a very poor human rights record, drawing Manchester City a lot of criticism – though hardly from its own fans. They also prefer not to talk about the 115 allegations of ‘financial misconduct’ that the English league is investigating – City consistently denies.

If Mansour is in the stands, it’s about him, not about football. But some games are apparently too important to skip. Moreover, it is full of dignitaries in the Atatürk stadium. And gaining political influence is an important reason for various Gulf states to invest heavily in (European) football. Entire urban districts have now been built in Manchester with money from Abu Dhabi, with the cooperation of the city council.

Slide, tap, poke

Nervous is the first hour of the final. Guardiola is standing along the line shouting like a man possessed at his players. Keeper Ederson shoots a ball over the sideline and then plays a simple pass into an opponent’s feet. Kevin De Bruyne just shoots a cross over the goal. But soon after, he sits down on the floor, grabs the hamstring, raises his hand to the reserve bench. It won’t work, he needs to be replaced. Just like during the Champions League final against Chelsea in 2021. Then De Bruyne broke his nose and eye socket in a collision. And City eventually lost – even then, the team was a favorite beforehand. It won’t, will it?

Inter feels it. Hunts on for a while, no longer hangs back, gets more ball possession, but doesn’t really know what to do with that. Goalkeeper Onana is just stretching some time, doesn’t really want to go forward. So it’s just boring for a while, this finale. Slide, tap, poke. 0-0 at half time.

Guardiola literally gets on his knees when he sees how things almost go wrong after an hour of football. Defender Manuel Akanji and keeper Ederson do not understand each other, both do not go to the ball, after which Inter can almost score. It is especially visible in that gesture by Guardiola: his team is unrecognizable.

Does Inter realize that? Or is it simply unable to break through that image of the underdog? It just keeps handing the ball to the English. And then, after 68 minutes, it suddenly hits. Nice through ball from Akanji, Bernardo Silva cross, which coincidentally falls at Rodri’s feet. He keeps his cool and shoots hard, but especially clean in the corner. 1-0 Man City.

Only then will Inter also play football. Immediately a header on the crossbar. A shot from Romelu Lukaku. It will be a final offensive. Lukaku can head in freely, but does so straight through the middle and, surprisingly, the ball does not go in. Stefan de Vrij, defender of Inter, had said in advance that in football not always the best wins. Why shouldn’t that be possible in the final?

But then you have to believe in it. Seeing that the opponent is not having a good day at all. That the favorite role may not mean that that team will also play really well. That Haaland remains virtually invisible in Istanbul. The game without De Bruyne is viscous. The defense communicates strangely and makes many mistakes. “You can only become a favorite once you are on the field,” City midfielder Ruben Dias had said.

And on the field, a real favorite did not rise. Although Inter continued to behave properly according to the pre-imposed role pattern, or it could not be better. So the favorite won, and that was especially justified based on the previous matches in this tournament. For example, Manchester City has the treble inside. In the stands, Sheikh Mansour smiles and applauds. Inconspicuous, but satisfied. Guardiola stands on the field a little off the podium as his players lift the cup into the air. He has tears in his eyes.