The brightest lights in European club soccer shine the brightest during the UEFA Champions League final. The ultimate peak of club soccer in the continent, only a few elite teams can lay claim to the title of “best in Europe.” This brings us to today, where, for the third time in each club’s history (and first in the final) England’s Manchester City faced off against Italy’s Internazionale Milan to cap off a long 2022-23 season.
The finals clash saw the two teams compete in Turkey’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium, located in Istanbul and home of the Turkish national team. Led by the highest-scoring striker in Premier League history, Erling Haaland, and his gorgeous long, blonde locks helped lead City to its first-ever Champions League trophy with a rather boring 1-0 victory over the Nerazzurri.
Beyond the game itself, Twitter made for a great spectacle to enjoy alongside the match. For those who are unfamiliar with soccer Twitter, it can basically be described as a digital stadium where everyone is a ref, coach, and player all at the same time. If you want to see people who have never played professional soccer in their life debate the laws of physics over the curve of a free kick, then look no further. We’ve gathered the tweets that best highlighted the beauty, spectacle, and hilarity of the Champions League Final.
First Half
The first half of the final got off to a slow start and finished 0-0 at the 45′ min mark. The biggest news of the half was the potential injury of City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. It was déjà vu for the 31-year-old Belgian national, who also experienced an injury during the 2021 Champions League Final. De Bruyne was subbed off for Phil Foden and many on Twitter remarked on De Bruyne’s inability to show up in big matches.
Others remarked on just how sloppy the first half was for both teams, but especially for City. For context, many soccer fans across the world consider City to be the best team in not only Europe but the world. The English side just won their third straight Premier League title, having comfortably won by points total with three games left to end the season.
Second Half
A slow start to the second half created an eerie feeling that this would be just another boring final but City’s Rodri proved everyone wrong. The defensive midfielder doesn’t score very often but when he does it matters, blasting a shot at the edge of the box past the Inter Milan goalkeeper to give City the first lead of the game.
The game came to life after Rodri’s goal which included an unintentional goal-saving deflection by Romelu Lukaku, blocking his teammate Dimarco from scoring the equalizer. Lukaku has been an easy punching bag for soccer fans across the world for years now, and his “world-class defending” only made matters worse (and the memes even funnier).
What also didn’t help was missing another chance at an equalizer in the 88th minute.
Winners: Manchester City
With the last whistle blown, Man City won its first Champions League final in club history. City fans and bandwagoners alike were delighted with the win, while the rest of the soccer world was devastated that the bad guys won. The win for City completes a coveted championship treble(opens in a new tab) (or triple crown), winning the English FA Cup, the Premier League, and now the UEFA Champions League.
