The dream remains the same. Inter surrenders to Manchester City and thus loses a very tight final, in which they certainly deserved at least a draw. But football, as we know, is not boxing where you also win on points, but a sport where only scoring counts: and so, on the night when the English discover themselves much more human than expected, just a Rodri's goal to decide the match in Istanbul, while the Nerazzurri are left with no choice but to eat their hands over some wasted opportunities that really cry out for revenge. Italian football thus closes the cycle of finals with three defeats out of three, a terrible roster which, however, is very close to us: little consolation, all right, but a good starting point for next season, when it will be at least a duty to try again.
Manchester City – Inter 1-0, Rodri scores, the Nerazzurri waste: the dream ends here
The defeat hurts, because if it is true that City started clearly as favorites, it is also true that the gap was much less clear than expected: the numbers, moreover, do not lie and see the Nerazzurri ahead both in overall shots (15 to 7) than in those in goal (5 to 4). Unfortunately for them, however, the goal box remained empty, while the English filled it with Rodri (68') on one of the very few occasions they had. From then on, Inzaghi's team, already close to the net with Lautaro after a big mistake by Akanji, shrugged off their fears and put Guardiola's under it, coming close to equalizing first with Dimarco and then with Lukaku. In the first situation, one can speak of bad luck, given that the header from the Nerazzurri full-back hit the crossbar when Ederson was beaten, but in the second, however, the responsibility rests entirely with the Belgian attacker, unfortunate in shooting at the goalkeeper close by from the door. The draw, occasions in hand, would have been the fairer result, but the details, as often happens in the Champions League, ended up making the difference, handing City a historic Treble (or Treble, given the country in question) and Guardiola the third cup of his coaching career, the first at the helm of the English .
Zhang: "Proud of my Inter, let this become a starting point"
"I am really proud of the team, of the players, of the staff, of everyone – the words of the president Steven Zhang -. We were given for underdogs from everyone, but the match showed that we know how to play at Manchester City's level, to whom I congratulate. This must be a starting point to do better in the future and build a team that can return to the Champions League final. We have the ability to do great things, also with a view to the future: our project is very clear and we work every day to improve and grow".
Inzaghi: "A burning defeat, but we have the potential to return to the final"
“I complimented the lads, they were great, they played a great match – Inzaghi's bitter comment -. We lost a final that we wanted at all costs, but they must be proud, I wouldn't trade these players for anyone and today the whole world saw why. We conceded little against a very strong team. There are many regrets, in the first half we didn't suffer a lot but in terms of movements we could have done better, in the second instead we created many situations and in the last 20 minutes, with Lukaku's crossbar and rebound, you wonder why the ball didn't go in: I would have wanted extra time, the team deserved it. The whole world has seen that Inter has put on a game of pride, the players are dejected and sad but this is football, we must be proud of the path we have made, with 5 finals in 20 months. It hurts, the path in the Champions League has been exceptional and having played in a final like this, we want to go back, because we have the possibilities to do so".
Guardiola: "This cup is a coin, but we have done something unique"
“I'm happy, in the end we could have drawn and gone into extra time or even lost, but if Foden had scored the 2-0 we would have won in a more comfortable way – Guardiola's analysis -. These competitions are a currency, in the previous ones we were a disaster when we could have won and today everything is great when we could have lost. I'm glad we've done a unique thing like taking this team where it deserves, however I want to congratulate Inter, they're a sensational team. I imagine how they feel because we went through it two years ago, but they are the second strongest team in Europe and that's not a small thing." It certainly isn't, but it will only be understood and appreciated in a few days: now, in fact, is the moment of disappointment, symptomatic of those who have presented themselves to the appointment with history only touching it.
