Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Man City left frustrated as Inter put up shutters
MANCHESTER City failed to spark as they were forced to settle for a goalless draw in their Champions League opener against Inter Milan.
There was none of the tension of the last time the teams met in the 2023 final as City struggled to break down an impressive Inter side who troubled them on numerous occasions at the Etihad Stadium.
Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan went close late on but former Manchester United pair Matteo Darmian and Henrikh Mkhitaryan spurned the best two chances of the night for Inter.
The hosts gave a debut to their new Oasis-inspired “Definitely City” European kit – a “light straw”-coloured affair co-designed by Noel Gallagher – but their performance was far from a hit.
They played their usual patient game in the first half but struggled to create clear-cut openings and were caught out a number of times by quick Inter counter-attacks.
Were it not for some lacklustre finishing from the Italians, Pep Guardiola’s side could easily have fallen behind.
Elsewhere, Paris Saint Germain inflicted heartbreak on Champions League debutants Girona as keeper Paulo Gazzaniga’s last-minute error gifted the Ligue 1 champions a 1-0 victory at the Parc de Princes.
With the team who were in the Spanish fifth tier as recently as 1999 looking set to earn a famous point, PSG defender Nuno Mendes sent across a low ball that deflected off sub Alejandro Frances before squeezing through the arms of Gazzaniga for an own-goal to save the home side’s blushes.
Last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund got their campaign off to a perfect start with a 3-0 win away to Club Brugge.