Champions League

FOOTBALL fans were left confused by a particular quirk at the Champions League final stadium in Istanbul.The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Turkey played host to Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Inter Milan on Saturday night.
The huge technical areas left football fans confusedCredit: BT Sport
The large areas did not step Pep Guardiola from stepping outside of themCredit: PA
It comes 18 years after the very same venue held the dramatic 2005 final between Liverpool and AC Milan when Steven Gerrard inspired a sensational comeback as the Reds clinched a fifth European crown.
The main takeaway from the 2023 edition was that Man City completed the Treble – the first English side to do so since Manchester United in 1999.
But there were also a number of smaller talking points spotted by eagle-eyed viewers.
One of those was the bizarrely huge technical areas which Simone Inzaghi and Pep Guardiola were prowling.
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Despite their vast size, both animated managers still appeared to go outside the lines in order to instruct their players.
Reacting on social media, journalist Richard Jolly posted a picture and added: “The Ataturk Stadium isn’t the easiest place to get to but it does have weirdly big technical areas.”
Another person added: “Biggest take so far is that these technical areas aren’t big enough for either Simone Inzaghi or Pep Guardiola.”
A third responded: “What’s the story with the technical areas?”
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While a fourth replied: “That stadium is ridiculous. Why is there about 15 yards from the dugout to the touchline?
“Managers and subs are going to pull muscles just getting to the front of their technical areas. Even front row fans need Hubble to see any action.”
Inzaghi caught the eye towards the end of his Inter side’s defeat on Saturday evening.
The Italian, 47, watched Ederson make a superb save from a corner to deny his team a late equaliser.
And with the game drifting beyond the allocated stoppage time, the camera cut to Inzaghi who appeared to grab a man in his technical area and push him away.
He then gave him a furious stare as frustrations boiled over.
Moments later, the full-time whistle was blown as the Man City players, staff and fans celebrated jubilantly, while those affiliated with Inter were left devastated.
Meanwhile, the ground was also criticised after fans struggled through traffic and bottleneck entrances to enter the stadium.
The scenes were described as “shambolic” and “dangerous”, just one year on from the chaos that ensued in Paris during Real Madrid’s clash with Liverpool.
Simone Inzaghi was left frustrated in his own technical area towards the end of the game More

JAMIE CARRAGHER performed some cringey yet brilliant dad dancing alongside Burna Boy after the Champions League final.The Liverpool icon was covering the game as part of the CBS Sports punditry team along with Micah Richards, Thierry Henry and Kate Abdo.
The CBS Sports punditry team was joined by singer Burna BoyCredit: CBS
And Jamie Carragher showed off his ‘dad dancing’ with the singerCredit: CBS
During the aftermath and celebrations following Manchester City’s win over Inter Milan, the Nigerian singer joined them.
While talking about the game, Carragher and Richards asked Burna Boy to give them a song and he started to sing the track “On the Low”.
Then Carragher and Richards started dancing together before the former Red took a leading role to dance with the singer, in front of a bemused Peter Schmeichel.
The clip was shared online and quickly went viral with fans commenting on the retired defender’s dancing.
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One tweeted: “This is honestly the best part of the show for me. Love you man. Burna boy is the best.”
A second wrote: “Carra you & Micah Richards are too funny lad! Big up the CBS crew. 🐐”
A third joked: “Looks like you’ve had dancing lessons off David Moyes 🕺.”
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A fourth commented: “Oh is that what it was dancing 😂.”
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Schmeichel eventually stepped in to break up the dancing as Henry praised Carragher’s moves.
Schmeichel said: “I am sorry, but I am stopping this”, leaving Richards in hysterics.
This morning Carragher reacted to the video clip that had gone viral on Twitter.
He wrote: “Dancing with @burnaboy is a nice way to finish the punditry duties for the season!” More

KEVIN DE BRUYNE held up his hands and revealed his missus was right all along – and for once he did not mind admitting it.The Manchester City superstar’s other half Michele told him back in August this was the season he would lift the Champions League.
Kevin de Bruyne lifted the Champions League for the first time despite going off injured in the first halfCredit: Getty
De Bruyne’s wife told him in August City were going to win the Champions League
She knew better than anyone that the 31-year-old has been fighting for the whole of his glittering career to win the big one.
Mrs KdB stuck to her belief throughout the campaign as City went through it unbeaten in Europe.  

And she even told him in the build-up to the final against Inter that she was convinced the time had come.
So the Belgian knows he will get a reminder when the treble celebrations are finally over and he goes home to his family.
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He said: “I don’t know why but my wife said in August ‘you’re going to win the Champions League’.
“I’ve no idea why but she always maintained I would. And she said before this game ‘I’m not worried. You’ll be fine, you’ll win it’.
“In the end it’s a little bit of a shame because I have to tell her she was right. So that’s not the best!”
Just like in Porto two years ago, De Bruyne’s appearance in the biggest club fixture of all did not go to plan.
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He was forced off in the first half as the hamstring injury which has been hanging over him for the past few weeks flared up again.
Yet this time it did not matter as he sat doing his post match interviews with the medal he needed to complete his collection around his neck.
He already has five Prem titles and seven domestic cups from his eight years at the Etihad – but this is the one he had been missing.
The former Chelsea man said: “I’ve basically been fighting all my career with my team to win this medal. I still don’t think it defines my career.
“I think it helps – but I don’t judge myself or my career solely on this game.
“I know who I am as a football player and person and I am happy and proud of the person I am and I am satisfied with who I am.
“People can say so much about you but if you’re satisfied with yourself and do what you need to go and give your all you can be proud no matter what. But obviously you want to win.”
Michele Lacroix has three children with the City ace
The pair have been together since 2017
De Bruyne on holiday with his wife
De Bruyne struggled to sum up how it felt to finally conquer Europe after so many near misses and disappointments along the way for City.
He said: “Hearing the words Champions League winner sounds good. I don’t know, my head feels a little bit empty for the moment. It’s just amazing, it’s incredible,“It’s probably both relief and joy because there’s always the pressure when you have never done it to do it and now we have.
“But we’ve not lost one game in the Champions League this season so I think we deserve it.”
City have had two mini celebrations after winning the Prem title and the FA Cup in recent weeks.
But KdB said they would make the most of this one – and deservedly so.
They flew back in to Manchester last night (SUN) and tonight (MON) they will be on an open top bus parade around the streets.
He said: “The season is so long we should just enjoy this moment. With the World Cup in the middle, it’s been such a long season, we’ve played about 60, 70 games each of us.
“We’ve had subdued parties up until now but now we can really enjoy it for a couple of days, as we should.”
The Belgian could miss the start of next season and revealed after the Champions League final he had been nursing himself through the last few weeks of the season.
The 31-year-old hobbled off towards the end of the first half and later claimed his hamstring had ‘snapped’.
A serious hamstring tear means several weeks on the sidelines and the new Prem season is only two months away. 
De Bruyne was not surprised by the setback as he revealed he has been nursing himself through the last few weeks of the season.
Asked whether it could be a long term injury, he said: “I’ve no idea. I don’t know what the plan is. I’ll probably take a scan somewhere this week.
“I’ll be out of the national team 100 per cent, I know that, which is a shame because I would have played my 100th game. 
“I’ve been struggling for two months, since the Bayern Munich game away.
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“I did what I had to do. Obviously I missed some games but the games like Arsenal and Madrid I managed to do it.
“But I missed I would say a fair amount of games but it was all small ruptures but now I’ve snapped it all the way so I wasn’t able to go on.” More

EDERSON celebrated Manchester City’s Champions League win in a bonkers way – by shaving a reporter’s beard.The goalkeeper starred for the Citizens during the victory over Inter Milan that saw the club complete a historic treble.
Ederso was interviewed after winning the Champions LeagueCredit: TNT SPORTS
He then bizarrely shaved the reporter’s moustacheCredit: TNT SPORTS
And then had his beard shavedCredit: TNT SPORTS
The pair then posed for a photo togetherCredit: TNT SPORTS
Ederson made some late saves in the game to deny the Italian side a late equaliser after Rodri had given them the lead in the 68th minute.
After the full-time whistle and amongst the celebrations, some of the players had to do their duties with the media.
And while Jack Grealish was quizzing Thierry Henry and Pep Guardiola was revealing his message from Sir Alex Ferguson, Ederson’s appearance for the press was a bit odder.
The Brazilian spoke to reporter Fred Caldeira from the news outlet TNT Sports, with whom he had made an earlier bet.
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In the later stages of the interview after talking about the match and near misses, Caldeira said: “Time to pay the bet.”
Ederson was then handed an electric shaver and started to remove the reporter’s moustache while still wearing his goalkeeper gloves.
Once he had completed the reporter’s trim, it was his turn to have his beard shaved off.
The clip went viral on social media with fans loving the moment with the goalkeeper.
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One fan said: “Ederson celebrations are always different.”
A second joked: “Our keeper is a lunatic, he’s going to celebrate by tattooing himself😅.”
A third said: “He’s crazy. I love him.”
A fourth commented: “Hahaha this is so cute.”
While a fifth added: “Ederson is shaving off a Brazilian reporter’s moustache on live TV because he won a bet against him.”
Caldeira had teased the shave before the game as he posted a picture of himself with the match ball and the clipper with the caption, “Hello, Ederson.”
He had a similar encounter with Arsenal midfielder Jorginho after he won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021. More

MANCHESTER CITY superstar Erling Haaland was left cringing at Jamie Carragher’s “awkward” question after the Champions League final.City sealed the treble after winning their first ever Champions League title at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium where they beat Inter Milan 1-0 with Rodri’s winner.

Manchester City star Erling Haaland was left baffled by Jamie Carragher’s “awkward” questionCredit: Twitter @CBSSportsGolazo
Kate Abdo and the rest of the CBS panel burst into hystericsCredit: Twitter @CBSSportsGolazo
Haaland failed to emulate the stunning form he has been showcasing throughout the season as the Premier League’s top scorer was neutralised by Inter’s back three.
However, there is probably a very good reason behind his poor performance as the star striker spoke to CBS after the post-match celebrations.
The Norway international joined a panel consisting of Kate Abdo, Carragher, Thierry Henry as well as Micah Richards and revealed he had a nervy tummy due to all the stress heading to the big final.
Haaland said: “I was really nervous, [I] Felt it in my stomach today.”
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That statement was met by a rather puzzling response from Carragher.
The Liverpool legend responded: “Anywhere else?”

The rest of the panel burst into hysterics with Abdo pointing out the absurdity of Carragher’s question.
Abdo asked: “What does that mean?”
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Haaland was left completely baffled while the rest of the panel laughed their socks off.
The 22-year-old then asked: “Why are they always asking these awkward questions?”
But Haaland didn’t look too bothered by that awkward moment as he and his City team-mates were over the moon after a stunning season that saw them winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
Later in the night he was pictured smoking a huge cigar as he partied with his Man City team-mates. More