Champions League Takeaways: Man City earns statement win, Inter's defence stands tall

And then there were two. 

Inter Milan and Manchester City are the remaining teams standing in the UEFA Champions League and will square off in the final in Istanbul on June 10 for the right to be crowned the best team in Europe following this week’s final-four matchups. 

Man City is off to its second Champions League final in three years, eager to erase the memory of its bitter loss to Chelsea in 2021. The Blues are on course to clinch the Premier League title this weekend, and are scheduled to play Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3, so they could be going for “the treble” in Turkey. 

Inter has reached its sixth European Cup/Champions League final in club history (its first since 2009-10), while Simone Inzaghi becomes only the second Italian coach to lead the Nerazzurri to the final (Giovanni Invernizzi in 1972 was the other). 

Here’s what else stood out from the second leg of the semifinals:   

Statement win by Manchester City over Real Madrid  

Could this finally be Manchester City’s season? The Blues have been threatening to break through as one of Europe’s elite teams for several years, but always managed to fall short. Wednesday’s comprehensive 4-0 home win over defending European champions Real Madrid could be proof that Pep Guardiola’s side is ready to become the best club in the world. 

It’s incredible to think that City scored four times in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium before a delirious home crowd, and that none of their goals came off the boot of prolific goal scorer Erling Haaland. Instead, it was Bernardo Silva (with two goals) and Kevin De Bruyne (a pair of assists) who starred in a complete team effort by the Manchester club. 

This was as dominant a performance as you’ll see in the Champions League, and the fact it came against a side the calibre of Real Madrid makes it all the more impressive. Los Blancos entered this contest full of confidence after last week’s 1-1 draw in Madrid, feeling that the series still hung in the balance. But Real’s hopes of a repeat were dashed courtesy of a first-half brace from Silva.  

The Spaniards grew more into the game at the start of the second half before centre back Manuel Akanji scored in the 76th minute to make it 3-0 and effectively kill off the two-legged tie. Fellow substitute Julián Álvarez’s injury time goal put an exclamation point at the end of City’s masterful display. 

As effective as the Premier League side was going forward, they were just as good in defence. City’s back line kept Real’s lethal front three of Karim Benzema, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior at bay all night – they combined for just a single shot on target. Guardiola’s team should also be complimented for the way they controlled the game, as the Blues enjoyed 61 per cent possession on the night, forcing Real to chase shadows. 

Player to watch in the final: Erling Haaland  

Even though Haaland was kept off the scoresheet in both legs of the semifinals against Real Madrid, it’s difficult to envision the Norwegian international being shut out for a third straight match in next month’s final. Haaland has been on an absolute tear this season for Manchester City with 52 goals in 49 games in all competitions, including a tournament-high 12 in the Champions League. Look for the towering, 22-year-old striker to make a major statement in his first Champions League final in Istanbul. 

Inter Milan’s defensive might wins out 

Inter Milan is off to its first Champions League final in more than a decade courtesy of a 1-0 win over neighbours AC Milan on Tuesday at San Siro in the latest edition of the Derby della Madonnina. Nobody would mistake the Nerazzurri for playing swashbuckling football, but at the same time, they do deserve plaudits for their brilliant game management skills and defensive prowess. 

The fate of this two-match series was still undecided despite Inter sitting on a 2-0 lead from the first leg. Influential Portuguese forward Rafael Leão was back in the lineup for AC Milan on Tuesday after missing last week’s opening match through injury, and there was a feeling that his return had the potential to spell doom for Inter. 

But it didn’t turn out that way – not even close. The Rossoneri were limited to five total shots in the game (compared to 15 for Inter), and mustered only one on target. Leão was largely anonymous in 90 minutes of action with a modest 31 touches on the ball to his credit. Like he did in previous Serie A encounters this season, Inter centre back Francesco Acerbi did a masterful job of neutralizing Milan’s Olivier Giroud, effectively marking the French forward out of the game. 

Inter’s stout defensive posture repelled Milan at every turn, setting the stage for Lautaro Martínez’s heroics in the 74th minute when he took a pass from substitute Romelu Lukaku and fired his shot just inside the near post. That goal snuffed out any chance of a Milan comeback. 

“I think that we have a very experienced squad, a very difficult squad to beat. We play very compactly, and this season you’ve seen in big games that we are there, we are ready to fight, we are ready to suffer,” Inter wingback Denzel Dumfries told media outlet BT Sport after the game. 

Player to watch in the final: Lautaro Martínez 

The Argentine ace and World Cup winner has 25 goals in all competitions for Inter Milan this season, but none were more important than his strike against AC Milan on Tuesday that sealed his team’s win in the two-legged series. Martínez now has three goals in this season’s Champions League, and he is only the third Argentine player to score at least 10 career goals in the competition for Inter, after Julio Cruz (13) and Hernán Crespo (11). A player for the big occasion, Martínez should give Manchester City all it can handle in Istanbul next month. 

Manchester City vs. Inter Milan: Looking ahead to the final 

Man City will undoubtedly enter the final as the heavy favourite after they eliminated German giants Bayern Munich and 14-time Champions League winners Real Madrid in the previous two rounds. The Premier League side outscored its opponents 9-2 in that run, with six different players finding the back of the net. They’ll need more of that balanced scoring and for Portuguese centre back Rúben Dias to continue to marshal a sturdy back line in order to get the best of Inter Milan on June 10. 

An all-Italian backline of Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni and Matteo Darmian has served as the backbone of an Inter Milan side that has now won eight games in a row in all competitions and conceded just three times in that run. The trio was at their best again on Tuesday, comfortably dealing with a rampant Milan side that attacked with an intensity that was lacking in the first leg. So, the key for the Serie A outfit in Istanbul will be for its three-man defence to hold firm and play with the same sense of purpose and robust physicality against Manchester City’s high-powered attack. 

John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.