Manchester City and Inter Milan played out a goalless stalemate at the Etihad Stadium in the rematch of the 2023 UEFA Champions League Final as City extended its unbeaten run in the competition to 24 matches.
Both teams struggled to fashion any real clear-cut chances early on, though Marcus Thuram did test Ederson, while Erling Haaland’s header was comfortably saved by Yann Sommer. Inter did look dangerous on the counter, mind, with Carlos Augusto forcing another save from Ederson at the near post.
City suffered a massive blow just before halftime when Kevin De Bruyne limped off with a muscle injury, replaced by Phil Foden. Despite the energy that Foden provided to City’s attack, they struggled to break Inter’s determined defense.
Changes from Simone Inzaghi brought more danger to Inter’s finish with Martinez and Mkhitaryan on, but Sommer again intervened with vital stops on Foden and Josko Gvardiol. Otherwise, Inter should’ve won it when Mkhitaryan smacked over from a good Denzel Dumfries cross.
Late efforts from Martinez and Rodri failed to find the target, while Ilkay Gundogan missed a close-range header as both sides were left frustrated. The draw will, though, please Inter, whose solid defensive performance means they have not been beaten yet this season.
