Manchester City will meet Inter in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League final on June 10 at Istanbul’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium.
Manchester City has a chance to win its first Champions League championship after a brilliant performance against European powerhouse Real Madrid on Wednesday.
City destroyed the 14-time winner of Europe‘s best competition, winning 4-0 to secure a 5-1 aggregate win. And a place in the final against Inter Milan on June 10 in Istanbul.
Bernardo Silva’s two first-half goals put City in command of the second leg. Several outstanding saves from custodian Thibaut Courtois kept the visitors from being absolutely humiliated.
However, Manuel Akanji’s second-half header and Julián Alvarez’s late goal sealed a dreadful night for Real.
UEFA initially credited City’s third goal as an own goal by Éder Milito, after Akanji’s effort hit the Real defender en route to the goal.
The victory keeps Pep Guardiola’s side on track to complete a historic treble. Emulating rival Manchester United’s feat of winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in the 1998-99 season.
After a free-flowing play from the home side, Silva opened the scoring for City. Kevin De Bruyne slid Silva in on goal after a smart interchange on the right side of the pitch, and the Portugal star hammered a near-post shot past Courtois.
The small midfielder is best known for his skill with the ball at his feet. Then doubled City’s lead with his head. Following Courtois’ stop to deny lkay Gündoan, Silva rose up in the box to steer a header into the net.
Toni Kroos hit the crossbar with a vicious shot, but Real rarely threatened, and City fans could relax in the second half knowing their place in the final was almost certain.
But City wasn’t done yet, with Akanji and then Alvarez completing a thrashing of Real.
A triumph to the first-ever European title
“In this match, we played a rival who was better than us. They pretty much overwhelmed us,” Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal told UEFA’s website.
Meanwhile, Silva stated that he did not feel “very good at all after the first game.”
“Tonight, I had to try to do better for my teammates and the fans,” Silva explained. “You know how good I am with my head?” I’m little, but I have a wonderful head.”
“It’s a lovely night for us. We knew it would be difficult, but beating Real Madrid 4-0 at home was fantastic. “Hopefully, we’ll win [the final].”
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted that his team struggled to deal with City’s pressing style.
“City played better and deserved to go through,” Ancelotti said on UEFA.com. “They really pressed us at the start of the match, and that made it difficult for us to build the play we wanted to.”
Inter Milan has long been regarded as a member of European soccer’s ‘elite,’ having won the European Cup/Champions League three times (1963-64, 1964-65, and 2009-10). City, of course, is a much more recent addition to that group of clubs and, after more than a decade of trying, is looking for their first-ever success in Europe’s top league.
