Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi has hailed his team’s “giant performance” as they secured a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Manchester City to begin their Champions League campaign on Wednesday night.
The revamped Champions League format is designed to bring the top European clubs together more frequently during the group stage, and this clash was a rematch of the 2023 final, where City triumphed 1-0. However, this encounter lacked similar drama, with Inter believing they should have dealt Pep Guardiola’s men their first European home defeat in six years.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan missed the best opportunity of the night with just 15 minutes remaining, firing over the bar.
City, who have stormed through their Premier League campaign with four straight wins, found it tough to break down Inter’s resolute defence. Rodri, the hero of the 2023 final with the only goal in that match, returned to City’s starting line-up after his involvement in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph. Despite his influence, Inter remained calm on the ball and frequently broke through City’s press, though they lacked the finishing touch in the final third.
Marcus Thuram had Inter’s best chance in the first half but sent his shot wide from just outside the box.
At the other end, Erling Haaland, who has scored nine goals in four Premier League appearances this season, found Inter’s defence far more difficult to penetrate. His best effort came just before half-time with a shot that narrowly missed the target.
City’s preparations for their top-of-the-table clash against Arsenal on Sunday were hampered when Kevin De Bruyne left the field with an injury just before half-time, following a blocked cross by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer. The Belgian playmaker was replaced by Ilkay Gundogan at the break, while Phil Foden was brought on to add more attacking thrust.
Despite the changes, clear-cut chances remained rare. Foden forced Sommer into his first real save of the match with 20 minutes left, following a clever move involving Jack Grealish and Gundogan.
Inter almost snatched the victory late on when Denzel Dumfries’ cross found Mkhitaryan in a dangerous position, but the former Manchester United man couldn’t keep his effort on target.
City had a final chance in stoppage time, but Gundogan headed over Jeremy Doku’s cross, leaving both sides to settle for a point.