The Champions League final is Manchester City-Inter: Guardiola’s team overwhelms Real Madrid 4-0

It will be City-Inter. Guardiola’s symphony jarred Real Madrid, who lost 4-0 after a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu at the Etihad overwhelmed by a colossal first half from Manchester City. English ecstasy, with a rematch included after the semifinal thrown away last year in a daring way in Madrid. In 2022 Real had prevailed 6-5, in 2023 they went down 5-1. And tonight Haaland didn’t even score: brace from Bernardo Silva, impalpable at the Bernabeu, own goal from Militao, goal from Julian Alvarez with the first ball touched after replacing the Norwegian. With a colossal Courtois, a bulwark among his unrecognizable companions.

CROSSINGS

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In Istanbul on 10 June, on Carlo Ancelotti’s birthday, Guardiola and Inzaghi will face off. Pep who hasn’t won since 2011 reaches the fourth final and is looking for a third success, Simone making his debut who wants to become the first Italian to bring Inter to the roof of Europe. Inter who dream of a fourth title and haven’t won since 2010, a year before Guardiola’s triumph. And then of course City with their obsession with the first Champions League, sought after for years by millions of millions: in the last 4 seasons, two semi-finals and two finals.

ENGLISH STRAP

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City conquered the final by annihilating Real Madrid, 5 Champions in the last 9 years, 11 semi-finals in the last 13, champion who came out due to the overwhelming power of their English opponents. In the first 10 minutes the statistics said: 100 successful passes from City against 10 from Real. We went ahead on that score there: on one side a team that owned the ball and the game, on the other a team that wanted to let things happen hoping the storm would pass, as happened at the Bernabeu. But if City hadn’t created great dangers in Madrid a week ago, Haaland, making his debut against his great rival and at the Bernabeu, had seemed human and Bernardo Silva bewildered, tonight it was a massacre.

CELESTIAL GEOMETRY

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The Norwegian Robocop in 21 minutes forced Courtois into two stratospheric saves with two headers from close range. Impressive flights of the Belgian goalkeeper. Madrid on the ropes from the first minute. Like a ‘equipo pequeño, scared, soft, unable to string together three passes or to defend with grit. He was beaten in the 23rd minute by a celestial geometry action from his rivals, closed by a surgical cut by De Bruyne for Bernardo Silva who, very lonely for the misdirection operated on Kroos, beat Courtois.

FOOTBALL MANUAL

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Hymn to English football which continued. Then a small break with two appearances from Vinicius and Benzema and a great shot from distance from Kroos that finished his mad run on Ederson’s crossbar. “Madrid is there – one thinks -. Never Dies”. True, but not tonight. Because on the other side there is the football manual, and the pages written by Guardiola lead the neutral reader to enjoy City’s second goal. This time we are on the left: Grealish cuts for Gundogan, shot rebounded, Bernardo Silva is the first to rebound, a precise header that places the ball where not even the sprawling Courtois can reach.

CHANGE CRITICIZED

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Vinicius who goes to speak with Ancelotti for clarifications and reassurances that Carlo is unable to give him. Madrid never aggressive, always passive. Carlo who had attracted raised eyebrows from madridismo at the time of the announcement of the formation for having left out Rudiger, to bring back the disqualified Militao. The former Roma player at the Bernabeu annoyed Haaland. Pep, on the other hand, had chosen the same players from the first leg, who had played 90 minutes in Madrid because the Catalan had decided to leave his mark on the game by deciding not to make any substitutions.

THIRTY TO ZERO

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And so there were 30 Champions League on the pitch at the start, the ones won by the Madrid players, against zero, the English share. Let’s hope that Inter can leave them there, with nothing in hand. It will be tough, because City have 24 wins and 2 draws in their last 26, have their hands on the fifth Premier League in 6 years, are in the FA Cup final and are therefore looking for the treble that Guardiola won in 2009 with Barcelona. One year before the nerazzurri.

REDUCED RHYTHM

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After City’s 13 shots towards Courtois’ goal in the first half, the evening in Manchester continued in a softer way. The English calmed down after the break, as had also happened in Madrid, the blancos responded to the obligation to wake up with abnegation. But nothing exaggerated huh? Carlo removed Modric, passed on the pitch and embraced off in a very affectionate way by Ancelotti, to put Rudiger and move Alaba to the left and Camavinga in the middle. Then Asensio for Kroos, with Madrid on the inside. Everything useless.

HAALAND AL PALO

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The City is on another planet. And then here was the third miracle by Courtois, who with his left shin deflected a close shot by Haaland again with his right foot after a magic by Gundogan. A personal against that of the Belgian with the Norwegian, who for the first time in this Champions League has not scored at home. And the third goal for City, scored involuntarily by clumsy Militao from a free kick by De Bruyne from the left. Then it’s time for the ‘rondo’, or little bull, by the City, accompanied by the choirs of the Citizens in the stands who celebrated the goal of Julian Alvarez in the recovery, the Argentine who took away the place in the national team from Lautaro Martinez, served by foden. Here you are. City have people like this on the bench: Alvarez, Foden, Mahrez… Guardiola’s twelfth victory against Madrid is worthy of a thousand and one nights. And now let’s see what Florentino Perez decides with respect to Ancelotti’s future: as bad as it goes to Carlo, the Brazilian bench remains.