Bore draw as European giants fail to put on show in money-spinning revamped Champions League
2024/2025 UEFA Champions League
0-0
Match Report
A clash between the champions of England and Italy, and a repeat of the 2023 final, which was lacking in context or jeopardy or goals.
City were off-colour - and not just because of the bizarre design of a kit designed by Noel Gallagher in the shade of straw - and Inter were impressive, menacing on the break and unlucky not to win.
But what did it really all mean, with seven matches still to play in this monumental league table and with 24 of the 32 teams progressing beyond it?
These matches all feel like filler for the TV schedules. Content without enough meaning. Football to shrug your shoulders at.
It wasn’t a bad match. Inter were excellent in keeping Erling Haaland at bay after the Norewgian’s recent onion-bag orgy, which had seen him harvest nine goals from four Premier League matches.
Their counter-attacks were rapid and intelligent and they gave City plenty of scares, ahead of Sunday’s Premier League summit meeting with Arsenal.
As in last year’s final in Istanbul - which City won by a Rodri goal but might easily have lost - Simone Inzaghi’s side showed that it is possible to disrupt England’s perma-champions.
But both will surely advance, either among the top eight who gain automatic qualification or the next 16 who will head into a play-off.
Football is eating itself and this competition - which often only really comes alive in the knock-out stage - will take longer than ever to get going this season.
There’s 1990s nostalgia in the air in the blue half of Manchester - Oasis are going to tour and City could be heading for the lower divisions.
City were unrecognisable in this strange kit, designed to mark the 30th anniversary of the Gallagher brothers’ debut album Definitely Maybe.
Nobody knows whether this will be their final European campaign for many years - that will all depend on a lengthy secret hearing into the 115 charges of financial wrongdoing brought by the Premier League.
And in the meantime, those who pay through the nose for match tickets and TV subs have no right to know what’s going on in regards to whether the club who have dominated the English game for a decade is legit.
Still, here we were in the brave new world of the Champions League’s ‘Swiss model’ group stage, with its vast table, its lack of symmetry and its ever-increasing burden on players.
Rodri, who had been talking up the possibility of going on strike due to overwork, made his first start of the season after injury.
If the Spaniard wants a bit more time off, he ought to try being a little more dispensable to Guardiola.
But here he was back in situ at the base of City’s midfield, the tick-tock man allowing City’s passing game to go like clockwork.
Further forward, though, City were finding Inter to be obdurate opponents.
Inzaghi’s side defended solidly and broke with pace and precision, while their manager provided magnificent entertainment with his touchline histrionics.
There was even a mistake from Rodri, who had his pocket picked by Mehdi Taremi before Inter surged forward only for Carlos Augusto to blaze one high and wide.
City had chances, Haaland heading straight at keeper Yann Sommer from a curling Savinho cross, Savinho himself firing wildly across goal, and Kevin De Bruyne finding the side-netting from an angle.
But this was far from the usual group-stage turkey shoot for City.
A dodgy clearance from Ederson went straight to former Manchester United man Matteo Darmian Gvardiol whose long-range shot was headed clear by Josko Gvardiol.
Ruben Dias was booked for a wrecking-ball challenge on Piotr Zielinski and Marcus Thurman was soon shooting wide from a Zielinski cut-back.
It was a lively watch. Haaland dropping deep and linking up well, steered a shot wide, then produced a headed interception which led to an opening for De Bruyne, Sonner advancing to smother.
Inter left their most dangerous break of the first half until last, Ederson saving with his right foot at the near post from Augusto.
It was Inter’s tenth shot on goal and it was all enough for Guardiola to make a double-change at half-time - Phil Foden replacing the hit-and-miss Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan on for De Bruyne, who appeared to have pulled a muscle late in the first period.
Those switches made little difference to the pattern of the match - City unable to find a final pass, Inter still menacing on the break.
It wasn’t until 69 minutes that City carved out their first genuine chance of the second half, Gundogan teeing up Foden, who, from close range, shot too close to Sommer.
At the other end, another United old boy, Henrik Mkhitaryan blazed over when presented with arguably the best chance of the night.
Sommer made an excellent diving stop to push out a Gvardiol drive and Gundogan placed one point-blank header straight into the keeper’s grasp, before he sent a diving header over in the dying seconds.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
6' The first shot in anger comes from Thuram but comfortably saved by Ederson
8' Match Event for Man City vs Inter
16' A lovely burst forward though ends with a disappointing attempt by Marcus Thuram
19' Haaland rises to meet a cross but the ball lands in the hands of Yann Sommer
24' Savinho takes a wild swing and leathers it towards the corner flag
27' Kevin de Bruyne in a dangerous area but he fires into the side netting
29' A poor clearance by Ederson but Gvardiol is well placed to make the clearance
31' Another big chance for Inter but it's already offside
33' Ruben Dias has picked up a yellow for a foul on Zielinski
36' Soooo close for Haaland! Haaland drills towards the net but it's wide
41' Match Event for Man City vs Inter
43' Kevin de Bruyne has pulled up and looks to have tweaked something
46' Subs! Kevin de Bruyne and Savinho replaced by Gundogan and Phil Foden
48' Match Event for Man City vs Inter
53' Darmian in a great position to score but he decides not and a huge chance gone
65' On come Lautaro and Mkhitaryan. Off go Zielinski and Thuram.
69' Two chances in quick succession but Foden and then Gundogan cannot finish
74' Denzel Dumfries and Benjamin Pavard have come on
76' A huge chance for Henrikh Mkhitaryan but he's skied it
79' Match Event for Man City vs Inter
Line-ups
Man City XI: De Bruyne, Ederson, Grealish, Ruben Dias, Bernardo, Akanji, Rodri, Haaland, Josko Gvardiol, Rico Lewis, Savinho
Subs: Carson, Walker, Gundogan, Stefan Ortega, Kovacic, Stones, Foden, Matheus Nunes, Jérémy Doku, James McAtee
Inter XI: Sommer, Darmian, Acerbi, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, M. Taremi, Barella, Thuram, Bastoni, Yann Bisseck, Carlos Augusto
Subs: Mkhitaryan, De Vrij, Raffaele Di Gennaro, Dumfries, Pavard, Lautaro, Frattesi, Josep Martínez, Kristjan Asllani