Manchester City’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan at the Etihad Stadium ended in a goalless draw, yet it still managed to be an entertaining match.
The visitors from Italy could have easily picked up a win and they missed a host of chances, consistently threatening on the counter-attack with their movement in the final third.
Manchester City also had their chances but they were blunted by Inter’s organisation and Erling Haaland having a bit of an off day.
The Italian media have highlighted that. Gazzetta dello Sport have given the City striker a rating of 5.5 out of 10, remarking that he had only one shot on target and that was saved easily by Yann Sommer.
They brand him as ‘the worst’ performer in the game, stating that the Norwegian was ‘below his standards’ and that he wasn’t dangerous to the Nerazzurri backline.
That is perhaps a fair assessment of the situation considering that Inter’s structure denied Haaland any service and the striker is generally reliant on players around him creating chances.
Simone Inzaghi’s side did well to cut the supply.
