Wasteful Manchester City play out entertaining Champions League draw with Inter
It took until the 68th minute of the pair’s last meeting for the deadlock to be broken, and a cagey start here suggested that supporters would be in for a similar wait.
Marcus Thuram - leading the line in the absence of the benched Lautaro Martinez - was the first to work a goalkeeper as he fired straight at Ederson.
Opposite number Erling Haaland also floated a harmless header at Yann Sommer as both sides struggled to create chances.
To their credit, Inter appeared dangerous on the counter, as they demonstrated when Carlos Augusto forced Ederson into a smart save at the near post.
Chances were at a premium for City, and there was a major blow in store for the hosts’ too, with midfield talisman Kevin De Bruyne forced off injured at the break having picked up an apparent muscle injury in the half’s closing stages.
Phil Foden replaced the Belgian, and while he certainly injected some energy into his side’s attack, he too was unable to truly test Sommer in the early going of the second half.
Neither outfit had a shot on target in the 20 minutes following the restart, prompting Simone Inzaghi to introduce Martínez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Chances started to flow at both ends as a result, with Foden and Josko Gvardiol denied by a pair of smart saves from Sommer, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan squandered the Nerazzurri’s biggest chance, inexplicably firing over after being picked out by Denzel Dumfries’ cross.
Martinez and Rodri tried their luck in the closing stages, but neither produced the necessary quality to settle the game for their side, while Ilkay Gundogan spurned a huge chance by heading straight at Sommer from close range.
A frustrating evening for Pep Guardiola, as his City side’s struggles against Italian opposition continued with just five wins coming from their last 14 such matches.
It’s certainly a more creditable point for Inter, who remain unbeaten after five matches this season despite never really hitting their stride.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Francesco Acerbi (Inter Milan)
