Man City seek Champions League to cement status
MANCHESTER City qualification for their second-ever UEFA Champions League final at the expense of the most successful Champions League club, Real Madrid, speaks of a club that have etched themselves to the top echelon of world club football.
Having played 1-1 in the first leg at Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid, who have won five of the last nine Champions Leagues, and have grown used to pulling off spectacular and sometimes inexplicable comebacks in Europe, were expected to do so on Wednesday night at Etihad, but that was not to be as City made them look ordinary.
The truth is that a relentless City blew the greatest team in Europe apart 4-0, cruising to the final on a 5-1 goals aggregate.
The celebration from City players and fans just tells the story.
Real Madrid are the most successful football club in the UEFA Champions League.
They have won the trophy for a record 14 times.
They won the inaugural edition of the tournament and remain the only club to win the trophy five times in a row (the first five editions).
They also hold the distinction of being the only club to defend the title in the Champions League era, as well as to win it three times in a row.
It is a club of such pedigree that City made look ordinary on Wednesday.
“What happened makes no sense to me,” Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid manager, told the media after the Etihad demolition.
“It’s a defeat that hurts but sometimes it can happen . . . in the Champions League semi-final against a strong opponent that played better than you.”
Pep Guardiola has transformed Manchester City from mere title contenders to yearly juggernauts.
In his six seasons in England, he has won
all trophies.
He is on the verge of winning his fifth Premier League, third in a row, with just a win in his remaining three matches to achieve the feat.
City will play in the FA Cup final against neighbours Manchester United on June 3.
Should they win all three titles, they will equal Alex Ferguson’s treble of 1999.
Already, Guardiola’s 2017-2018 season saw City win the league by a 19-point margin and setting records for biggest margin of victory, most points in a season, most goals scored in a season and greatest goal differential in a season.
That campaign also saw Man City set the record for longest league-winning streak at 18 matches, as Guardiola’s squad romped to 32 wins that year compared to just four draws and two defeats.
Inter Milan could, however, truncate this
treble ambition in Instabul on June 10.
While City are seeking their maiden UEFA title, Inter has won the world’s most prestigious club competition three times; most recently, in 2010.
The Champions League final has the feeling of a David vs Goliath match-up.
Man City being heavily favoured is no surprise.
They are undefeated in this season’s Champions League and have won all six home matches.
None of the knockout ties have been close either.
In the three knockout rounds so far (against RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid), City have drawn 1-1 away while outscoring opponents 14-0 in three matches at Etihad Stadium.
On the other hand, Inter lost twice in the group stage, both 2-0 scores against Munich (a team City beat 4-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals), but have been undefeated in the knockout stage.
Inter got past Porto, Benfica and AC Milan to qualify for the final.
The Italian team are on a hot run as well. They have won eight straight matches with wins against Juventus, Lazio, Roma and the two wins against Milan in the semi-final.
Inter, who are third in Serie A, are also in the Coppa Italia final against Fiorentina on May 24.
This is their sixth appearance in the Champions League final.
The Nerazzurri won in 1964, 1965 and 2010, while they lost in 1967 and 1972.
City’s only other final appearance was two years ago, when Chelsea pulled off a 1-0 upset in Porto.
The fantastic form that has seen City go 23 games unbeaten, winning their last 15 at the Etihad Stadium, was far too good for Real Madrid.
It is magnificent Manchester City will play Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul on June 10.
Guardiola has told his players to “visualise” winning the treble after hailing the greatest performance of his seven-year reign as Manchester City manager.
He has also urged his players to seize the chance to become history makers.
“We are there now and the players can think about it, visualise it,” he said.
“We are three games away. One in each competition. We can do it.
“We need to win one more game in the Premier League, then we have our neighbours in the Cup and a Champions League final against an Italian side.
“The pleasure of being there and playing against Inter Milan is incalculable and we are going to enjoy the occasion.”
Winning the Champions League will certainly cement City’s status.