ISTANBUL — Whatever else they might say about Manchester City‘s first-ever treble (first of many? We’ll find out…) let them not say that it was painless. Or that it didn’t involve suffering. And maybe even a smattering of self-doubt. We got to the conclusion most expected: a City win over Inter Milan.
But the journey we took to get there was unexpected and, for City, uncomfortable and unpleasant and filled with far more adversity than anyone could imagine. It’s one of those things that happens in sports. It was the correct outcome in terms of crowning the best team in the world. But, on the night, it served a reminder that a mean, hungry underdog can rattle even the biggest, strongest favorite.
On the flip side, Simone Inzaghi and his Inter players can say they matched City despite losing the final 1-0 and, in fact, surpassed them in a bunch of statistical categories (expected goals: 1.80 to 0.93; shots on goal: 14-7; shots on target: 6-4; big chances missed: 4-2).
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That last one will hurt and it will sting Romelu Lukaku, who once suited up for City’s crosstown rival Manchester United, more than most. He inadvertently got in the way of Federico Dimarco‘s goal-bound header with 20 minutes left to play. Then, in the 89th minute and with the whole goal to aim at, he planted a tame header right where Ederson, with lightning-quick reflexes, could parry it.
City entered the cauldron of the Ataturk Olympic Stadium as probably the biggest favorites in two decades. In the eyes of many, including the bookmakers, this was manifest destiny. The winners of the Premier League and the FA Cup against a side that finished a distant third in Serie A. Heck, even their titular owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had shown up to watch their date with history. Which is a pretty big deal when you consider that — despite those close to him insisting he’s a massive fan — he’d only seen the team he’s spent more than $1 billion on in person once before since purchasing it in 2008.
Even their coach, Pep Guardiola, normally so circumspect, said that for all the team’s domestic success, “something would be missing” if they failed to lift the European Cup. It was quite the departure for a guy who normally says all the rational coach things — from “we just want to get better every year” to “performance is what matters” and “the league is the true test, anything can happen in a cup” — but on this occasion he let his heart and soul speak louder than his mind. He also said what most fans and media think: silverware matters.
And yet, on the night, it was far from easy. Inzaghi, the Inter coach with the hangdog expression and the understated (some might say milquetoast) manner, dug deep in his tactical toolbox and contained City until midway through the second half. And then, in a frenzied finale, saw his team create — and miss — a trio of massive chances to equalize. You expect favorites to stick to their game and underdogs to adapt to the opposition, looking for an edge. In the past, Guardiola had paid a hefty price for not sticking to that conventional wisdom.
