(Istanbul) Manchester City clinched a maiden Champions League title with a 1-0 win over Inter Milan on Saturday at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.
Rodri scored the only goal of the game in the 68e minute of play, allowing his club to complete a hat-trick, after their victories in the Premier League and the FA Cup.
“Today we made history,” Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan said. We knew everyone was talking about the hat-trick. The pressure was there, but this team was built to overcome the pressure. »
While this is a first continental crown for Man City, it is the third time manager Pep Guardiola has lifted the trophy.
Guardiola had tears in his eyes during the celebrations with the players on the pitch. His last title dates back to 2011, with FC Barcelona.
It is for him a 30e major title as a coach and a second hat-trick, after that of 2009 with Barça. City become only the second English club to accomplish the feat, after Manchester United in 1999.
City prevailed despite losing star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne in the first half to injury. He also ignored a discreet match from star striker Erling Haaland.
This victory finally allows the team to complete its record by reaching European supremacy, 15 years after the royal family of Abu Dhabi transformed it into the richest team in the world.
Owner Sheik Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan witnessed the triumph in person. It was only the second time since he bought the club in 2008 that he was there for a game.
Inter were the underdog going into the game, but they defied their rivals until the final whistle. Romelu Lukaku got a chance to tie the game late in the game, but his deflected header went straight for goalkeeper Ederson.
The winning goal was scored when Rodri recovered a ball after a maneuver from Bernardo Silva. His shot snuck through traffic in the penalty area.
The relief was evident as he ran towards the City supporters and slid to his knees in celebration.
Inter nearly gave a cue a few minutes later, but Federico Dimarco hit the crossbar with a close-range strike.
He wanted to take advantage of the return, but the ball hit his teammate Lukaku.