David Hytner was at the Etihad tonight. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Pep Guardiola talks to TNT. “We played so good … I love my team … we are a fantastic team … Inter are the masters of defending and in transition they are really strong as well … I’m really pleased for the performance we did … it is the beginning of the season so these players will be better.”
Hakan Çalhanoğlu speaks to TNT: “We played a good game against a strong team … we tried everything … we had chances to score … both teams showed all the people around good football … with the draw I am happy … we tried to enjoy it … we have to have fun … you have to fully concentrate for 90 minutes … both teams created chances … for both teams, one point is good … it was the first step against the best team in the world so we are happy.”
Rúben Dias talks to TNT: “It was a very intense game against a strong opponent … they are used to winning … the team had a great performance … we were very close to scoring … we take it, we move forward … it was a very good test for us to play such a strong side … we’re happy with the work we did at the back … the season has just started … it’s very early … today we were on a very good level … we had our chances but that’s football … we have a lot of margin to progress … we will take the rest we need … Arsenal will be an intense game … we will be ready.”
So what does this mean in terms of the league table? Not much, bordering on nothing. Not yet. But here we are anyway.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Bologna | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Inter Milan | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Man City | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 1 | 0 | 1 |
İlkay Gündoğan had a couple of big chances to snatch victory at the end, but otherwise Manchester City weren’t quite on their game tonight. Inter were highly decent, though, defensively impressive and dangerous on the counter; with some better decision-making, they would have made something of their breaks upfield. It’s also still difficult to understand why Matteo Darmian, storming into the box, opted to backheel instead of shoot. But the draw, on balance, was about right. Both teams will surely feature at the business end of this tournament, even if the start of their League Stage campaign hasn’t been perfect.
FULL TIME: Manchester City 0-0 Internazionale
A City performance less Definitely Maybe, more Dig Out Your Soul.
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90 min +4: Doku crosses from the right. Gundogan launches himself at the ball, heading it over the bar from six yards. What a chance to snatch all three points at the death!
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90 min +3: Doku clumsily clips Mkhitaryan, who needs no invitation to go down and eat up some clock.
90 min +2: Doku wins another corner down the right. City pressing hard for a late winner. Foden swings in again; Martinez heads clear again.
90 min +1: Martinez powerfully heads Foden’s corner clear.
90 min: Doku turns on the jets and wins a corner on the right. Foden to take. There will be four additional minutes.
89 min: Gvardiol dinks a cross in from the left. Acerbi misses his header. Gundogan doesn’t, planting a fierce one straight at Sommer from eight yards. The keeper claims. Either side of the keeper and the net was surely bulging.
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87 min: Foden, on the left-hand edge of the Inter D, aims for the bottom right. He doesn’t quite catch it and it’s easy pickings for Sommer.
86 min: Rodri, whose shooting from distance did for Inter in Istanbul, has a rake from 25 yards. This one flies harmlessly wide left.
85 min: Barella sends Martinez scampering into acres of space down he left. The pass is overhit, though, and the chance for Martinez to drive directly into the box is gone. He’s forced wide, and though he drifts back in and gets a shot away, it’s easily read and claimed by Ederson. Inter have had their chances tonight.
83 min: Lewis has the opportunity to release the very quiet Haaland down the inside-right channel, but overhits the pass. Inter are more than happy to usher the ball out for a goal kick.
82 min: Hakan Çalhanoğlu is replaced by Davide Frattesi.
80 min: Bernardo Silva makes way for Jérémy Doku.
79 min: Foden scampers in from the right and rolls across for Gvardiol, who pearls a fine shot towards the bottom right from the edge of the D. Sommer parries with a strong hand.
78 min: City pass it around but go nowhere fast.
76 min: Dumfries immediately finds himself in the thick of it, tearing down the right and crossing low. City don’t deal with the situation, and Mkhitaryan shoots from ten yards. He’s got to hit the target – he’s got to score, really – but leans back and hoicks over. He puts his head in his hands, as well he might. What a miss!
75 min: Before the free kick can be taken, Inter replace Yann Bisseck and Matteo Darmian with Denzel Dumfries and Benjamin Pavard. Then the free kick is flicked harmlessly wide right of goal by Akanji.
74 min: Grealish nutmegs Barella and is forcefully body-checked by the Inter captain for his sauce. Barella should go into the book, but it’s just a free kick. Pep shrugs theatrically to make his point.
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73 min: Inter clear the corner with ease.
72 min: Rodri works the ball wide left to Grealish, who drops a shoulder but can’t quite get past Darmian, who deflects his shot out for a corner. Gundogan to take from the left.
70 min: Gundogan meets a ball dropping over his shoulder and slices it high and wide. City finally beginning to bare their teeth.
69 min: The game almost grinds to a halt, but then suddenly City go through the gears. Gvardiol, Gundogan and Grealish paint pretty triangles down the inside-left channel before slipping a pass to Foden on the penalty spot. He slams his shot straight at Sommer, who smothers.
68 min: Foden swings a free kick in from the left. Haaland winds his neck back, but Augusto heads clear.
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67 min: Mkhitaryan’s first act is to blooter a clearance halfway up the pitch. There’s not a lot going on right now. “I can’t get too het up about the bazillion different strips that clubs have nowadays,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Yeah, some of them are aesthetical grotesques, but even that is interesting. And occasionally a weird experiment becomes a new classic, like Juventus’ pink jersey with a off-centre black star. Variety is the spice of life and all that.”
65 min: Piotr Zieliński and Marcus Thuram are replaced by Lautaro Martínez and – to pantomime boos – former Manchester United star Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
63 min: It’s the Inter fans making most of the noise right now. The City support quiet, their team unable to really get going.
61 min: Barella curls in low from the right. Taremi waits to slot home from ten yards but Akanji hooks clear just in time. “Are we sure the Man City kit is inspired by Oasis the band?” asks Ronan Beattie. “Looks more like it was inspired by Oasis the soft drink.”
59 min: This is getting scrappy. All a bit ragged. Speaking of the rag trade … “The dystopic scenarios mentioned by David Wall have already happened,” reports Giovanni Cafagna. “Last year AC Milan, in the middle of the season, issued a one-off kit edition especially designed by a fashion-house, which was worn only once by the team. It was obviously a sell-out with the supporters. Then they even went molecular, so to speak. Following the unplanned event of having no goalkeeper substitute, and Olivier Giroud taking on the responsibility, and making even a fine save on the last minute of the match, they swiftly issued a one-off goalkeeper shirt with 1 and Giroud printed at the back. Again, it sold out quicker than you can say...Giroud. I’m not going to elaborate on tonight city kit, basically it’s a yellow bib printed over a blue shirt. Bleah!”
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57 min: Grealish is robbed on the edge of the Inter box and Barella counters. That could have been a foul on Grealish actually, Çalhanoğlu barging him from behind. But then Barella is cynically bowled over by an in-flight Gvardiol, who is fortunate not to go into the book, so it all balances out. Sort of. We play on.
55 min: Thuram drives hard down the left and cuts back for Zieliński, whose effort from the edge of the box goes out for a throw on the right. Many ironic cheers soundtrack the ball as it bobbles apologetically off the field of play. Inzaghi is now red hot with the purest anger.
53 min: Oh this is absurd. Taremi barges infield from the left and slips Darmian clear down the right channel. Darmian enters the box and has to shoot, but strangely decides to backheel the ball in the hope of teeing up Barella behind him. There’s no accuracy and the chance is gone. Simone Inzaghi tears along the touchline in a hot fury. Darmian will hear about that again later, along with some beneficial advice.
52 min: Foden goes skittering down the right and is brought to the floor. Free kick, and a chance for everyone to line up on the edge of the Inter box. Gundogen and Foden play it short, though, and the former races off down the wing. He crosses. It’s cleared. This half hasn’t really taken off yet.
50 min: Inter take their turn to knock it around the back. Sommer gives Barella a bit of a hospital pass in the box but the Inter captain calmly traps, turns and clears.
48 min: Foden has a crack from 25 yards, a curler that’s always high and wide of the top-left corner.
47 min: City stroke it around in the low-energy style. Not much going on right now.
Inter get the second half underway. City have made two changes, replacing Kevin De Bruyne and Savinho with İlkay Gündoğan and Phil Foden. Pep clearly taking no risks with his captain, who picked up a knock towards the end of the first half.
Half-time essay, courtesy of David Wall. “Isn’t this proliferation of different shirts getting ridiculous now? Not only are they changed every season (I would swear there was a rule not that long ago that teams had to keep them for at least two seasons, but perhaps that went the way of referees’ initiative each season, quickly getting forgotten after an initial flourish) but some teams have almost enough kits to have a different one for each competition they play in. What next, changing them at the halfway point in the season? Christmas-themed special-edition kits? A new kit for the end of season run-in, at least for those teams still involved in a title challenge or a relegation battle? Hopefully that will be something that the independent regulator does something about if they ever get appointed.”
Keep it down, David, for goodness sake. You’ll be giving them ideas.
HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-0 Internazionale
There’s just enough time for Barella to launch a counter, Augusto shooting from a tight angle on the left, Ederson pushing the ball around the post for a corner, from which Barella volleys over. And that’s the end of the first half. Inter will be the happier team.
45 min: There will be one additional first-half minute.
44 min: De Bruyne will continue for now, with half-time so close. Nothing comes of the corner.
43 min: Haaland snaffles possession 30 yards from the Inter goal and Grealish sends De Bruyne into the box on the left. He shoots from a tight angle. Sommer closes the angle to parry out for a corner. Before it can be taken, De Bruyne goes down holding his groin. He doesn’t look particularly happy.
41 min: Zieliński advances down the left and cuts back for Thuram, who should make Ederson work at the very least, but slaps his shot from the edge of the box wide left.
40 min: Thuram attempts to drive into space down the left only to be shouldered to the floor by Akanji. Some referees may take umbrage at that, and flash yellow, but not this one.
38 min: De Bruyne bustles down the inside-left channel. His cross-cum-shot balloons off a defensive leg and nearly loops over Sommer from a tight angle, but the keeper backtracks and claims just in time.
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37 min: De Bruyne crosses from the left. Haaland can’t connect, six yards out, and Bastoni clears, taking a whack from the big striker for his trouble. The whistle goes and the pressure is released, but the last few minutes have been better from City.
35 min: Savinho zips down the right and crosses low. Inter hack clear, but City immediately come back at them. Haaland spins on the edge of the D and drags a shot towards the bottom right, wrong-footing Sommer. The keeper’s feet are planted, Haaland having done him with the turn, but the ball bobbles inches wide of the post.
33 min: Deep in his own half, Zieliński drops a shoulder to send Lewis away to the shops. What a bodyswerve! He sashays at speed up the middle of the park, and is eventually upended in the agricultural style by Ruben Dias, who goes into the book.
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31 min: From the corner, Inter keep up the pressure. First Barella has a drive at goal from the right that is blocked; then a free kick comes in from the other side, Thuram battering a header straight at Ederson, who nevertheless saves brilliantly. It’s offside anyway. Inter getting closer.
29 min: Grealish is caught offside and Sommer takes his sweet time over the restart. The referee taps his watch ostentatiously. Eventually the ball’s sent long down the other end, and Ederson races wide of his goal to stop it going out for a corner. His hook upfield falls to Taremi who loops towards the goal from 25 yards. Gvardiol eyebrows out for a corner, saving a certain goal.
27 min: Grealish slips De Bruyne away on the overlap down the left. De Bruyne shoots from a tight angle but can only lash into the side netting.
25 min: De Bruyne makes good down the left and cuts back for Haaland, who should lead with the head but attempts a high-kick instead. He misses the ball altogether. It sails through to Savinho, who shanks the wildest of efforts many yards left of the target.
23 min: De Bruyne’s cute diagonal pass down the inside-left channel nearly releases Grealish into the box. Inter crowd him out, but that got the crowd going. They’ve been quietened a little by Inter’s bold start.
21 min: Acerbi meets the outswinger but can’t get a header on target. Simone Inzaghi will be happy with the way his team have started this match; he looks reasonably calm on the touchline at the minute.
20 min: Another shooting chance for Çalhanoğlu, who strikes hard, but his effort pings off Akanji for Inter’s first corner of the night. Çalhanoğlu to send it in from the right.
19 min: Inter have looked the more dangerous so far, but it’s Sommer who needs to make the first significant intervention. Lewis crosses from the right. Haaland rises high and plants a header goalwards, but straight at the keeper, who claims.
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18 min: Taremi steals the ball off a snoozing Rodri and counters with Thuram. City are light at the back but the Inter pair overthink things on the edge of the box, getting in each other’s way and allowing a couple more defenders to turn up for work. Eventually the ball breaks to Çalhanoğlu, whose weak shot squirts wide right.
16 min: … so having said that, a cute Barella backheel breaks the City press and Inter tear upfield on the break. Thuram picks up possession to the right of the D. He’s onside this time, but faffs around with the ball between his feet. When he finally sorts himself out he drags a weak shot wide right.
15 min: After a reasonably interesting start, this match has completely ground to a halt. The Inter team of the mid sixties would love it.
13 min: Ederson stands around with the ball at his feet for an absolute age. Nobody bothers to press, so he doesn’t bother to make a pass. Eventually he hoofs it long, and City lose possession. Slightly strange and presumably not Pep’s Plan A.
11 min: Now it’s Inter’s turn to enjoy a bit of possession. The visitors stroke the ball around the back awhile. It’s been a confident start by the 2023 runners-up.
9 min: Inter are definitely, not maybe, targeting the right flank. Another long ball down that wing, Darmian and Thuram chasing after it. Akanji does well to read the danger, come across and clear.
8 min: Once again Taremi makes good into the City half, this time down the centre. He slips Thuram away on the right, but the flag pops up for offside. That’s careless play by Thuram, who was looking along the line and didn’t have to go so early. He had Barella and Çalhanoğlu along in the attack, too. Big chance wasted.
6 min: Some room for Taremi down the left. He ventures into the City half, then switches play to Thuram on the right. Thuram reaches the edge of the box and rifles a low drive straight at Ederson, who claims. An early warning that while City will have the lion’s share of possession, Inter will have something to say on the counter.
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4 min: De Bruyne slips Grealish into space down the left. Grealish spins into the box and rolls across for De Bruyne, who is denied a shot on goal by Bastoni, who extends a leg and hooks clear just in time.
2 min: City stroke it around in reliable style.
City get the ball rolling. They’re on the front foot immediately. Blue Moon ringing around the Etihad.
The teams are out! A new version of the Champions League is out. The City fans don’t like this one either. Boo! Inter are sporting that shirt, while City are wearing their cream, pink and sky blue fourth kit. They should have got Johnny Marr to design it.
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Pep Guardiola speaks to TNT. “So nice to be here … so nice … we were tested [by Inter] in the final … tonight is completely different … the final is the last bullet in the gun.”
Let’s take a quick peek inside the Inter changing room … and perhaps this is the first time you’ve clapped eyes on the Nerazzurri’s new shirt. And maybe you’re thinking: eh? Well, according to the official marketing bumf, it features a “bold geometric pattern which disrupts the traditional vertical stripe design, bringing shapes inspired by the city’s unique skyline, remixed to reflect the connection Milan holds with design.” The folk who brought us City’s Haçienda shirt and Manchester United’s dazzle-ships effort would like a word.
🔎👕🖤💙#ForzaInter #UCL #ManchesterCityInter pic.twitter.com/dpwV7Zv5k7
— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) September 18, 2024
City make four changes to the team that started the 2-1 win over Brentford. Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Joško Gvardiol and Rúben Dias come in for Mateo Kovačić, İlkay Gündoğan, John Stones and Kyle Walker.
Inter bring some stars back after their 1-1 draw at Monza on Sunday. Alessandro Bastoni, Piotr Zieliński, Nicolò Barella and Hakan Çalhanoğlu return, but Lautaro Martínez drops to the bench.
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The teams
Manchester City: Ederson, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis, Rodri, Savio, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Grealish, Haaland.
Subs: Ortega, Carson, Walker, Stones, Kovacic, Doku, Gundogan, Matheus Luiz, Foden, McAtee.
Internazionale: Sommer, Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni, Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Zielinski, Carlos Augusto, Thuram, Taremi.
Subs: Di Gennaro, Josep Martinez, Dumfries, de Vrij, Lautaro Martinez, Frattesi, Asllani, Mkhitaryan, Pavard.
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden).
Tonight's #UCL squad! 📋
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 18, 2024
XI | Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, De Bruyne (C), Bernardo, Savinho, Grealish, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Walker, Stones, Kovacic, Doku, Gundogan, Nunes, Foden, McAtee#ManCity pic.twitter.com/aqXzNJJYW5
Gli 1️⃣1️⃣⚫🔵 di #ManchesterCityInter 🙌⁰#ForzaInter #UCL pic.twitter.com/FI9QGi7SAB
— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) September 18, 2024
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Preamble
Manchester City dip their toe into this new-fangled 36-club-strong Champions League pool. The 2023 winners take on the team they beat to finally claim the European crown, so allow a little pre-match time for some good old reminiscing. Then it’s down to business, with City flying: the Community Shield already in the bag, four Premier League wins out of four, nine goals already for Erling Haaland. By comparison, the champions of Italy aren’t in such good form, with two wins and two draws to open their defence of Serie A, but Internazionale kept City honest last year in Istanbul and tonight they’ll no doubt do so again. Kick-off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
