Manchester City v Inter: Champions League – live | Champions League

Half-time essay, courtesy of David Wall. “Isn’t this proliferation of different shirts getting ridiculous now? Not only are they changed every season (I would swear there was a rule not that long ago that teams had to keep them for at least two seasons, but perhaps that went the way of referees’ initiative each season, quickly getting forgotten after an initial flourish) but some teams have almost enough kits to have a different one for each competition they play in. What next, changing them at the halfway point in the season? Christmas-themed special-edition kits? A new kit for the end of season run-in, at least for those teams still involved in a title challenge or a relegation battle? Hopefully that will be something that the independent regulator does something about if they ever get appointed.”

Keep it down, David, for goodness sake. You’ll be giving them ideas.

HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-0 Internazionale

45 min: There will be one additional first-half minute.

44 min: De Bruyne will continue for now, with half-time so close. Nothing comes of the corner.

43 min: Haaland snaffles possession 30 yards from the Inter goal and Grealish sends De Bruyne into the box on the left. He shoots from a tight angle. Sommer closes the angle to parry out for a corner. Before it can be taken, De Bruyne goes down holding his groin. He doesn’t look particularly happy.

41 min: Zieliński advances down the left and cuts back for Thuram, who should make Ederson work at the very least, but slaps his shot from the edge of the box wide left.

40 min: Thuram attempts to drive into space down the left only to be shouldered to the floor by Akanji. Some referees may take umbrage at that, and flash yellow, but not this one.

38 min: De Bruyne bustles down the inside-left channel. His cross-cum-shot balloons off a defensive leg and nearly loops over Sommer from a tight angle, but the keeper backtracks and claims just in time.

37 min: De Bruyne crosses from the left. Haaland can’t connect, six yards out, and Bastoni clears, taking a whack from the big striker for his trouble. The whistle goes and the pressure is released, but the last few minutes have been better from City.

35 min: Savinho zips down the right and crosses low. Inter hack clear, but City immediately come back at them. Haaland spins on the edge of the D and drags a shot towards the bottom right, wrong-footing Sommer. The keeper’s feet are planted, Haaland having done him with the turn, but the ball bobbles inches wide of the post.

33 min: Deep in his own half, Zieliński drops a shoulder to send Lewis away to the shops. What a bodyswerve! He sashays at speed up the middle of the park, and is eventually upended in the agricultural style by Ruben Dias, who goes into the book.

31 min: From the corner, Inter keep up the pressure. First Barella has a drive at goal from the right that is blocked; then a free kick comes in from the other side, Thuram battering a header straight at Ederson, who nevertheless saves brilliantly. It’s offside anyway. Inter getting closer.

29 min: Grealish is caught offside and Sommer takes his sweet time over the restart. The referee taps his watch ostentatiously. Eventually the ball’s sent long down the other end, and Ederson races wide of his goal to stop it going out for a corner. His hook upfield falls to Taremi who loops towards the goal from 25 yards. Gvardiol eyebrows out for a corner, saving a certain goal.

27 min: Grealish slips De Bruyne away on the overlap down the left. De Bruyne shoots from a tight angle but can only lash into the side netting.

25 min: De Bruyne makes good down the left and cuts back for Haaland, who should lead with the head but attempts a high-kick instead. He misses the ball altogether. It sails through to Savinho, who shanks the wildest of efforts many yards left of the target.

23 min: De Bruyne’s cute diagonal pass down the inside-left channel nearly releases Grealish into the box. Inter crowd him out, but that got the crowd going. They’ve been quietened a little by Inter’s bold start.

21 min: Acerbi meets the outswinger but can’t get a header on target. Simone Inzaghi will be happy with the way his team have started this match; he looks reasonably calm on the touchline at the minute.

20 min: Another shooting chance for Çalhanoğlu, who strikes hard, but his effort pings off Akanji for Inter’s first corner of the night. Çalhanoğlu to send it in from the right.

19 min: Inter have looked the more dangerous so far, but it’s Sommer who needs to make the first significant intervention. Lewis crosses from the right. Haaland rises high and plants a header goalwards, but straight at the keeper, who claims.

18 min: Taremi steals the ball off a snoozing Rodri and counters with Thuram. City are light at the back but the Inter pair overthink things on the edge of the box, getting in each other’s way and allowing a couple more defenders to turn up for work. Eventually the ball breaks to Çalhanoğlu, whose weak shot squirts wide right.

16 min: … so having said that, a cute Barella backheel breaks the City press and Inter tear upfield on the break. Thuram picks up possession to the right of the D. He’s onside this time, but faffs around with the ball between his feet. When he finally sorts himself out he drags a weak shot wide right.

15 min: After a reasonably interesting start, this match has completely ground to a halt. The Inter team of the mid sixties would love it.

13 min: Ederson stands around with the ball at his feet for an absolute age. Nobody bothers to press, so he doesn’t bother to make a pass. Eventually he hoofs it long, and City lose possession. Slightly strange and presumably not Pep’s Plan A.

11 min: Now it’s Inter’s turn to enjoy a bit of possession. The visitors stroke the ball around the back awhile. It’s been a confident start by the 2023 runners-up.

9 min: Inter are definitely, not maybe, targeting the right flank. Another long ball down that wing, Darmian and Thuram chasing after it. Akanji does well to read the danger, come across and clear.

8 min: Once again Taremi makes good into the City half, this time down the centre. He slips Thuram away on the right, but the flag pops up for offside. That’s careless play by Thuram, who was looking along the line and didn’t have to go so early. He had Barella and Çalhanoğlu along in the attack, too. Big chance wasted.

6 min: Some room for Taremi down the left. He ventures into the City half, then switches play to Thuram on the right. Thuram reaches the edge of the box and rifles a low drive straight at Ederson, who claims. An early warning that while City will have the lion’s share of possession, Inter will have something to say on the counter.

4 min: De Bruyne slips Grealish into space down the left. Grealish spins into the box and rolls across for De Bruyne, who is denied a shot on goal by Bastoni, who extends a leg and hooks clear just in time.

2 min: City stroke it around in reliable style.

City get the ball rolling. They’re on the front foot immediately. Blue Moon ringing around the Etihad.

The teams are out! A new version of the Champions League is out. The City fans don’t like this one either. Boo! Inter are sporting that shirt, while City are wearing their cream, pink and sky blue fourth kit. They should have got Johnny Marr to design it.

Pep Guardiola speaks to TNT. “So nice to be here … so nice … we were tested [by Inter] in the final … tonight is completely different … the final is the last bullet in the gun.”

Let’s take a quick peek inside the Inter changing room … and perhaps this is the first time you’ve clapped eyes on the Nerazzurri’s new shirt. And maybe you’re thinking: eh? Well, according to the official marketing bumf, it features a “bold geometric pattern which disrupts the traditional vertical stripe design, bringing shapes inspired by the city’s unique skyline, remixed to reflect the connection Milan holds with design.” The folk who brought us City’s Haçienda shirt and Manchester United’s dazzle-ships effort would like a word.

City make four changes to the team that started the 2-1 win over Brentford. Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Joško Gvardiol and Rúben Dias come in for Mateo Kovačić, İlkay Gündoğan, John Stones and Kyle Walker.

Inter bring some stars back after their 1-1 draw at Monza on Sunday. Alessandro Bastoni, Piotr Zieliński, Nicolò Barella and Hakan Çalhanoğlu return, but Lautaro Martínez drops to the bench.

The teams

Preamble