June 5 – Having achieved the second leg of their momentous mission with Saturday’s 2-1 FA Cup final defeat of arch-rivals Manchester United, Manchester City head to the Turkish capital to try and complete the treble against Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
The recently crowned Premier League champions deservedly beat United in the domestic season-ending showpiece fixture thanks to Ilkay Gundogan’s record-breaking double on Saturday.
The City captain scored the fastest goal in FA Cup final history with a stunning volley after 12 seconds and struck what proved to be the winner seven minutes after halftime.
United, seeking to win both domestic cups in the same season for the first time in their history and wreck City’s hopes of emulating their own historic 1999 treble, had levelled with a highly controversial 33rd-minute Bruno Fernandes penalty.
Pep Guardiola’s side resisted some late United pressure to win the trophy for a seventh time. It was the 13th time the English league and FA Cup double has been achieved. But City now seek an even more illustrious achievement as they try to become European champions for the first time and, in doing so, emulate United’s 1998-99 Premier League/FA Cup/Champions League sweep under Alex Ferguson.
“Now we can talk about the treble,” said City manager Pep Guardiola, whose side face Inter on Saturday. “We’re in a position that we’ll probably never be in again.”
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