Manchester City 1-0 Inter Milan: Player ratings for Nerazzurri as Rodri goal dashes their European dream | UEFA Champions League 2022-23
Inter Milan lost 1-0 to Manchester City in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday (June 10).
Rodri scored the only goal of the game in the 68th minute that sunk the Nerazzurri, whose hopes of lifting a fourth title in the competition were dashed. With the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana in the bag, Simone Inzaghi's side were aiming for a treble of their own and kept City under wraps in the opening stanza.
Erling Haaland had the best chance of the game when he found himself in a good position to score, but Andre Onana produced a fabulous save to deny the Norwegian. While their defensive game was excellent, Inter's attack wasn't sharp enough, and they sought to improve on that after the break, coming close in the 59th minute.
Lautaro Martinez pounced on a loose ball after Manuel Akanji made a poor back pass for Ederson but saw his shot intercepted by the City goalkeeper. Just nine minutes later, the English champions went ahead after Rodri found space inside the box and latched onto the ball to make a first-time finish into the bottom corner.
Inter tried to find their way back into the game but were let down by some poor finishing. Federico Dimarco saw a shot come off the crossbar, while substitute Romelu Lukaku's header was denied off the line by Ederson.
City held out for the remainder of the game to pick up a narrow win and win their first Champions League title as they also sealed a historic treble. Inter, nevertheless, can be proud of themselves for a fabulous campaign.
On that note, here are the player ratings for Inter Milan:
Andre Onana - 7/10
He denied Erling Haaland in the first half to keep the game on level terms but was eventually beaten by Rodri's unstoppable effort from range.
Matteo Darmian - 6.5/10
Darmian was visibly unnerved with the occasion and struggled to exert himself in defense. Rodri's winner was also partly down to him, as the ball had come off him before the Spaniard rifled a volley into the far post.
Francesco Acerbi - 7.5/10
He was key to keeping Haaland in check. Acerbi dealt superbly with the Norwegian fireball, finishing with four clearances and two interceptions.
Alessandro Bastoni - 7.5/10
Another of Inter's stalwart in defence, Bastoni made sure everything was kosher at the back and made excellent recoveries in the area.
Denzel Dumfries - 6.5/10
The Dutchman got into possession often but desperately lacked composure. He set up a wonderful chance for Lukaku in the second half with a deep cross. but that was kept off the line.
Nicolo Barella - 6.5/10
Always biting at the heels of Manchester City defenders but missing the end product, he failed to deliver a cross and completed only three of his seven ground duels.
Marcelo Brozovic - 7/10
The Croat controled the game's tempo for Inter and took the game to City with his directness and fearless approach. He completed four tackles and made two interceptions.
Hakan Calhanoglu - 5/10
He picked the wrong game to drop a stinker. Back in his home country, there were great expectations from Calhanoglu, but the midfielder was well below his best on the night.
Federico Dimarco - 7/10
Dimarco was absolutely electric, bombing up and down to give City a nightmare in defence. However, he will have nightmares of his own miss in the second half after seeing his header come off the crossbar.
Eden Dzeko - 5/10
Another player who failed to show up on the occasion, Dzeko never really tested City's defence. He didn't muster a single shot and completed only three passes in 57 minutes of action.
Lautaro Martinez - 7/10
The Argentine led the press well and was thoroughly involved in the thick of the things. He laid four key passes and had two shots on target.
Ratings of Inter Milan substitutes against Manchester City
Romelu Lukaku (57' for Dzeko) - 6.5/10
The big Rom added bite to Inter's attack that Dzeko failed to bring but could've been more clinical with his chances. One of them was saved on the line by Ederson when the Belgian had the entire goal in front of him to bury his header.
Robin Gosens (76' for Bastoni) - 6.5/10
His header in the final minute of stoppage time was kept off the line by Ederson.
Raoul Bellanova (76' for Dumfries) - 6/10
He won a corner deep inside stoppage time that Gosens nearly scored from.
Danilo D'Ambrosio (84' for Darmian) - 5/10
He struggled to wrestle back control of midfield when City were pushing for a second goal.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (84' for Calhanoglu) - 5/10
The Armenian couldn't exert his influence in the dying moments.
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