Man City 0-0 Inter (H2): Both teams commit consecutive fouls

Turkey's Inter caused many difficulties for Man City in the second half, in the 2023 Champions League final.

50'
Goalkeeper Onana missed the pass.
Onana made a mistake in the penalty area and Silva got the ball, but center back Acerbi cleared the danger for Inter's defense.
48'
Silva reacts to the referee
Midfielder Bernardo Silva pushed Dimarco from behind, causing him to fall to the ground. The referee did not call a foul, but stopped play to allow Dimarco to get up, and Silva was not happy with that.
47'
Foden (No. 47) has not left his mark after replacing De Bruyne. Photo: Reuters
The second half begins.
It's Man City's turn to kick off.
Inter received praise
According to former Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas, Inter know exactly what to do with and without the ball. "Inter are comfortable without the ball. But with the ball, they immediately look for space. They know how to smell danger," Fabregas added.
Dumfries (above) pulled down Grealish in the first half. Photo: Reuters
Former player advises Man City to stay calm
According to former centre-back Jelon Lescott, Man City players need to slow down, even if it's just one more touch or pass. Because Inter are causing trouble with their high-intensity pressing style of play.
First half statistics
Man City Parameter Inter
4 Finish 4
2 Goal kick 1
62% Ball possession rate 38%
0 Corner kick 1
45'+2
End of first half
The two teams drew 0-0, but Man City used a substitution because the injured conductor De Bruyne left the field to make way for Foden.
45'+1
Akanji shot over the bar
While unable to find a way into the Inter penalty area, centre-back Akanji tried a long-range shot but the ball flew slightly over the crossbar.
44'
Man City missed penalty
Grealish broke through on the left and was pulled down by Dumfries. Man City were awarded a free kick but failed to capitalise on it to create a good chance.

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Man City are aiming for a historic treble after winning the Premier League and FA Cup double. Only Man Utd have achieved this in English football history, in 1999. Inter are only the fourth team in history to reach the Champions League final after losing their opening game, after AC Milan in 1994-95, Bayern in 1998-99 and Tottenham in 2018-19. All of these teams lost in the final.

The Italians have benefited from an easy knockout stage in this season's Champions League. They only had to overcome Porto, Benfica and Milan on their way to the final. Meanwhile, Man City's losers were Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Haaland (left) and Dzeko are the strikers expected to shine for Man City and Inter. Photo: Sun — Haaland (left) and Dzeko are the strikers expected to shine for Man City and Inter. Photo: *Sun*

Opta statistics also said that Man City's chance of winning is up to 65%, Inter's is only 16%, with a 19% chance of the two teams drawing and going into extra time. Supercomputer statistics FiveThirtyEight also said that Pep Guardiola's team's chance of winning the championship is up to 75%, three times higher than their opponents.

One factor that could make the match unpredictable is that the two teams have never met in a competitive match, the first time this has happened in a Champions League final since Milan and Liverpool in 2005. Guardiola said he had spent a lot of time studying Inter, over the past week, but would not want to "think too much".

In terms of form, if we exclude the 0-1 defeat to Brentford in the final round of the Premier League, which was just a formality, Pep Guardiola's team are unbeaten in 26 matches in all competitions. Inter have won 11 of their last 12 matches, but their opponents are not at the level of Man City.

Man City have the strongest squad, while Inter also welcome back centre-back Milan Skriniar and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Inter players who cannot play this match rarely get to play, such as defender Mattia Zanotti and midfielder Valentin Carboni who are busy playing in the U20 World Cup.

Xuan Binh

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