Bernardo Silva is determined to right a wrong after firing Manchester City back to the Champions League final.
The Portugal playmaker struck twice as City overpowered Real Madrid 4-0 in the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday to set up a clash with Inter Milan in next month’s Istanbul showpiece.
It marks a return to the final for City two years on from their disappointing loss to Chelsea on European club football’s top night and Silva wants to ensure the result is different this time.
The 28-year-old said: “The final of the Champions League is always an unbelievable occasion.
“I’ve only played it once and the outcome was wasn’t very happy for me. Let’s try and change that.
“We know that we play against a very tough team. I watched their game on Tuesday and they are very organised collectively.
“We’re going to study them, follow the manager’s plan once again and try to, individually and collectively, put out the best possible performance, like this one, to be as close as possible to winning that game.”
City produced one of the greatest performances in the club’s history to move a step closer to winning the competition for the first time.
Real Madrid, the holders and 14-time winners of the trophy, had no answer to City’s dizzying combination of movement, speed, strength and cutting edge.
City made a blistering start and maintained the intensity throughout. Silva put them into a thoroughly deserved lead after 23 minutes and added a second before the interval.
An Eder Militao own goal and late Julian Alvarez strike made the scoreline 5-1 on aggregate and truly reflective of their superiority. Victory could have been even more emphatic with Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois making three fine saves to deny Erling Haaland.
City’s display ensured sweet revenge for their loss to the same opponents in the semi-finals last year.
“I’m very happy because the performance was amazing,” Silva said. “From minute one, the pressure that we put on Real Madrid’s defence – we pushed them back and we created lots of chances.
“And with our people – the energy – we felt the momentum that we created. It helped a lot.
“The second half started in a weird way where they put us under a bit of pressure but I think the team was very resilient, very organised, and the difference from this year to last year was the chances – we created most of them. We took them and we scored the goals.”
The Champions League final could be the crowning moment of a glorious treble for Pep Guardiola’s City this season.
They will claim the first of the three trophies they are chasing if they beat Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday.
Silva said: “Yes, with our people again. Hopefully we can give them another happy day and give them the special moment of winning five (Premier Leagues) in six years, which is not easy in this country.
“We’re going to rest, sleep well, eat well and prepare well to be at our best and give that happiness to them because they deserve it.”
Bastoni at the back with Martinez in attack – Inter Milan’s key players
Inter Milan stand in Manchester City’s way of the treble when they meet in the Champions League final in Istanbul on Saturday.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key players for the Italians.
Lautaro MartinezArgentina’s World Cup winner has 30 goals in a staggering 67 games for club and country this season – 21 in 27 Serie A starts. A signing from Racing Club in 2018, Martinez has 79 goals in just 127 league starts for Inter. Two goals in the 2-1 Coppa Italia final win against Fiorentina last month underlined his ability for the big occasion.
Edin DzekoWhat price for the former City striker to deny them the treble? Dzeko scored the ‘other’ stoppage time goal in their famous 3-2 win over QPR to clinch the Premier League title in 2012. Dzeko netted the crucial opener in their semi-final first leg against AC Milan and bagged nine goals from 18 Serie A starts this term – along with five in Inter’s run to Saturday’s final.
Nicolo BarellaPart of the squad who lost the 2020 Europa League final to Sevilla, the midfielder has gone from strength to strength since joining from Cagliari in 2019. Barella is a relentless box-to-box player who won Serie A’s midfielder of the season award this term. He will be charged with breaking up City’s attacks and crucial in stopping the supply line to Erling Haaland.
Alessandro BastoniAnother player with over 50 appearances for Inter this season. A 2017 signing for £30million, Bastoni has become an integral part of the Inter and Italy defence, being part of the Euro 2020-winning squad. He has 44 ball recoveries in 11 matches with a passing accuracy over 86 per cent in the competition and will need to be at his best to stop Haaland.
Andre OnanaIn his first season at Inter after last summer’s move from Ajax, the goalkeeper has slowly established himself as number one. Samir Handanovic started the season in goal and Onana had to wait until October for his first league appearance. He has shared duties with Handanovic in the league and Coppa Italia during the run-in – as Inter finished third in Serie A – but will be expected to start on Saturday.
Tottenham poised to announce Ange Postecoglou as their new manager
Tottenham are expected to announce Ange Postecoglou as their new manager after reports on Monday claimed the Celtic boss has agreed a two-year deal.
The 57-year-old Australian’s pending appointment will end Spurs’ long search for a permanent replacement for Antonio Conte, who they sacked in March.
Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason had respective spells in temporary charge as the London club failed to qualify for European football next season for the first time since 2009-10.
Postecoglou told Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond on Saturday night of his decision to leave the Glasgow club and has now agreed a deal in principle with Spurs, with the option to extend.
Former Australia head coach Postecoglou admitted on Saturday, after Celtic’s Scottish FA Cup final win over Inverness had secured them the domestic treble, that his celebrations would soon be disrupted.
Neither club have commented but reports claim an announcement will be made when the finer details of the contract have been finalised.
When repeatedly pressed on his future after Celtic’s 3-1 Hampden win over Inverness on Saturday, Postecoglou said: “I anticipate enjoying this moment for the next 24-48 hours, as long as I can, before someone drags me away and takes my attention away from enjoying something that’s been hard-earned.
“The reality is, there’s probably players in that dressing room who won’t be here next year. That’s the nature of football.”
Postecoglou has won five domestic trophies out of a possible six after arriving from Yokohama F Marinos in 2021 and was linked with numerous Premier League clubs throughout this season.
He became a hero with the Celtic support, not just for resuming their success after a barren season, but also for implementing an attacking style of play and his connection with the fans.
Postecoglou, due to go on a family holiday on Tuesday, will now swap Glasgow for another rebuild job at Spurs.
Former Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers has emerged as an unlikely favourite to succeed Postecoglou at Celtic, four years after leaving the club mid-season to take over at Leicester.
Assistant manager John Kennedy is also high up the list but reports claim Postecoglou hopes to take the former Celtic defender to Tottenham.
Cayon Rockets blank Old Road 3-0 to maintain lead atop SKNFA Premier League; Security Forces get rare win
Cayon Rockets maintained their position atop the St Kitts and Nevis Football Association Premier League following their 3-0 drubbing of MFCR Old Road United at Warner Park on Sunday.
Devontay Carty scored twice in the- 20th and 63rd minutes while Mervin Lewis sealed the victory with a third in the 68th.
Meanwhile, Bath United and Garden Hotspurs played to a 1-1 stalemate at the Nevis Athletics Stadium. Omarion Bartlette gave Bath the lead in the 13th minute. It was a lead they held until the 84th when Jeamaul Hodge pulled Hotspurs level to get a share of the points.
On Friday, a goal in each half led Security Forces to a 2-1 win over hosts Jones Group Sandy Point.
Everette Ritchen gave Security Forces the lead in the 30th minute. They held that lead until Zahmai Greene pulled Sandy Point level in the 65th minute. Parity didn’t last long as Donyelle Francis’ 70th minute goal gave Security Forces a rare win.
Meanwhile, Fast Cash Saddlers FC and St. Peters played to a nil-all draw, a result that Saddlers’ coach Samuel Phipps was happy to come away with.
“Picking up on point is good, we did not lose,” he said. “It was a fairly scrappy game but we came out with a point.”
St Peters’ boss Austin Huggins bemoaned his team’s missed chances.
“I think that we played well but too many chances went a begging,” he said. “We had chances to score, chances that I feel should have been goals, but we missed them; nevertheless, we’ve been able to get a point, looking forward to our next match.”
The weekend’s results, Cayon Rockets remain top of the table with 39 points after 16 matches while defending champions St. Paul’s United in second with 31 points, having played one game less. St Peters FC are third with 28 points with Old Road United Jets slipping to fourth with 27 points.
Village Superstars (24) and Conaree FC (24) are fifth and sixth, respectively. Newtown United has fallen to seventh on 23 points with Bath United just above the relegation playoff zone in eighth with 19 points.
Garden Hotspurs are in the relegation playoff spot with 16 points. The three regulation spots are occupied by Saddlers United, Security Forces, and Sandy Point FC with 12, nine, and two points, respectively.
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