Manchester City’s bid to reclaim the Champions League got off to a slow start on Wednesday as Inter Milan held them to a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
The new expanded Champions League format promises more clashes between Europe’s elite before the knockout rounds, but this rematch of the 2023 final, which City won 1-0, failed to live up to expectations. Inter, however, came close to handing Pep Guardiola’s side their first home defeat in Europe in six years, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan missing the best chance of the match 15 minutes from the end.
Despite City’s dominant start to the Premier League season, with four consecutive wins, they struggled to find their rhythm against a well-organized Inter defense. Rodri, the hero of last year’s final in Istanbul, returned to City’s starting line-up after helping Spain win Euro 2024, but even his influence couldn’t break the deadlock. Inter were composed in possession and managed to bypass City’s press, but their final touch in front of goal let them down.
Simone Inzaghi’s decision to bench captain Lautaro Martinez in favor of Mehdi Taremi and Marcus Thuram paid off with Thuram getting the visitors’ best chance in the first half, but he dragged his shot wide. On the other side, Erling Haaland, who has scored nine goals in four Premier League games, found Inter’s defense far more difficult to break. His closest effort came before halftime, narrowly missing the target with Yann Sommer beaten.
City suffered a setback just before the break when Kevin De Bruyne limped off after his cross was blocked by Sommer. Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden were introduced in the second half, but the game remained tightly contested with few clear chances. Matteo Darmian wasted a rare opportunity for Inter, drawing a frustrated response from Inzaghi after his misjudged backheel pass.
City’s attack finally came alive 20 minutes from time, with Jack Grealish and Gundogan setting up Foden, whose shot forced Sommer into his first real save. Inter nearly stole the win moments later when Denzel Dumfries’ deflected cross found Mkhitaryan, but the Armenian missed the target.
City pressed for a winner late on, with Sommer denying Josko Gvardiol’s long-range effort and Gundogan heading over Jeremy Doku’s cross in the dying moments. In the end, neither side could claim they deserved all three points, as the match ended in a stalemate.