Manchester City is on course to win the treble this season after annihilating Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League semifinal. Champions League semi-final. Here are the details:
City Surprised
City's surprise in the second leg of the semifinal was not the victory, but rather the convincing manner in which they won. City annihilated Madrid 4-0 in the duel, leaving the Merengue club 5-1 on aggregate. Although many chose City as the finalists, few imagined that the result would be by such a huge scoreline.
Now, City are in the final against Inter Milan, who have also surprised by reaching the final this season. Even if it is not a David vs. Goliath final, all indications are that City will be this season's Champions League champions.
City goes for the Triple
Manchester City are on the verge of achieving a milestone that only city rivals Manchester United have achieved in English soccer: the coveted treble.
In the 1998-99 season, Man U achieved the treble by winning the Premier League, the FA Cup and then the Champions League. The milestone was reached by Inter Milan in the 2009-10 season by winning the Scudetto, the Coppa Italia, and then the Champions League.
The milestone has been achieved four more times in European soccer, with Bayern Munich achieving it in 2012-13 and most recently in 2019-20. For its part, FC Barcelona has achieved it in 2008-09 and 2015-15.
Although this milestone has been achieved five times in the last two decades, it is an extremely rare accomplishment. Few teams have the ability to have a magical season where everything goes right.
Now, City is one step away from achieving this milestone, which would be historic in English soccer. Of course, Inter have other ideas. Inter have their own plan with which they hope to win the Champions League.
OFFICIAL!!! Inter and Manchester City will meet in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League FINAL. The Neroazzurri left AC Milan with no answer, while the Sky Blues destroyed Real Madrid. What a duel awaits us in Istanbul. For European glory. UNBEATABLE. pic.twitter.com/BS84JwJjog
- Invictos (@InvictosSomos) May 17, 2023
City is the favorite
It's clear that City go into the final as the favorites. But that doesn't necessarily mean they are the better team. Both Inter and City play a collective style. That is, the team is based on a scheme where each player plays a role beyond his individual ability.
This approach has been useful as it has allowed both sides to excel despite opposing tactics. For example, Madrid's executioner was Bernardo Silva in the second leg of the semi-final. While Erling Haaland has been the standout for City, his lack of goal scoring was not as significant.
On the other hand, Inter have several offensive weapons that they can deploy such as the Argentine Lautaro Martinez or the Belgian Romelu Lukaku.
This final promises to culminate with one team making history after a long road that began with 78 teams and now ends with two.
