
A stunning Rodri strike ensured that Manchester City completed the treble in a fiercely contested match against Inter Milan in the Champions League final.
Talk of the treble has dominated the scene in sports media for several weeks now, with the immense pressure seemingly seeping into the Manchester City players - especially evident in the first half.
Many predicted this final to be a mismatch in quality, a walkover for Pep Guardiola's men, but Inter certainly rose to the occasion.
The Nerazzuri struck the bar and were superbly stopped by Ederson (and Lukaku!) as they probed for an unlikely equaliser, but could not eclipse the inevitable shine of the blue moon.
Here are four things that we learnt from the final:
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Simone Inzaghi is a very smart man
I don't think it would be churlish to claim that there is a discernible gulf in quality between the players of both sides - Sheikh Mansour's pockets have been well and truly drained by Pep Guardiola.
The cost of the City starting eleven was over seven times dearer than that of Inter Milan's, yet Simone Inzaghi's aggressive and pragmatic approach produced all the minerals for his sleeping giants to go toe-to-toe with, unequivocally, the most complete team that Europe has to offer.
You could make the argument that the Cityzens were a tad complacent in the first half, but I prefer the angle which praises the opposition. Inter Milan's relentless pressing unsettled City's defensive shape whilst they were in possession; it startled them.
Inzaghi has assembled a team which progressed from a group containing Bayern Munich and Barcelona. His defensively rigid application helped Inter to five knockout-stage clean sheets whilst simultaneously being potent in an attacking sense - their expected goals metric was over double that of the now European champions (per @xGPhilosophy on Twitter).
Unfortunately for the Italian and his players, the final hurdle was just too high; a bitter pill to swallow for this aging Inter squad. Nevertheless, they can certainly leave with their heads held high.
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Pep Guardiola has finally fulfilled his expectations
Let's flashback to the 1st February 2016 - Manchester City announce that Pep Guardiola will take over as manager from Manuel Pellegrini for the forthcoming season.
Indeed, City were going through a transition period as a club, but the driving force behind appointing a manager of Pep's calibre was to transform the club into recurring European champions.
His Centurions of 2018 are domestically the best Premier League team of all time, next year he amassed just two points less, pipping the 97 points of Liverpool. Of course these achievements are impressive, absurd, but the constant underachieving under the brightest European nights definitely served as a fly in the ointment for Guardiola's tenure.
Now, he can relax. This will be a very heavy weight off of the shoulders of the Spaniard, whose beautifully complex brain has created the most functional and free-flowing football I have ever had the pleasure of viewing.
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Andre Onana is absolutely quality
Sometimes you can just spot an excellent footballer within five minutes.
It could be the way they receive a pass or a subtle jink inside the full-back, it's especially impressive when it becomes apparent in a goalkeeper.
A goalkeeper comfortable in possession is the blueprint for every successful European side - Liverpool's meteoric rise occurred because they were ahead of the curve - but Onana couples it with excellent shot stopping.
He effortlessly sprayed the ball towards his wing-backs on numerous occasions and also made a smart stop to prevent an Erling Haaland effort at the far post. These were only snippets of the immense talent that the Cameroonian possesses.
The aforementioned aging of Inter's squad could tempt Onana's camp into manufacturing a move elsewhere, and any club that picks him up will instantly improve. Are you reading, Manchester United?
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The coolest heads will flourish
There was far too much elegance and class in that City squad for them not to get over the line and, in the end, it was their most trusted and reliable player who they called upon.
Rodri and Stones have worked tremendously well in tandem since the Guardiola's experimental 3-2-4-1 formation has come into full effect, but it was the former's cool head in front of goal which ensured the sky blue and white ribbons wrapped around the glistening trophy.
This humble and composed mentality is rife within this squad. Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Ruben Dias - these are just four names which ooze class, they have players worthy of captaining the side in every single department.
There is an overriding sense that this first touch of European glory may well snowball into several more, certainly whilst Guardiola stays perched on his throne.

