Soccer News of Sunday, 11 June 2023

Source: www.sportsbrief.com

Man City fans thank Lukaku for role in UCL triumph

The photo used to illustrate the story The photo used to illustrate the story

Manchester City fans have thanked Romelu Lukaku for inadvertently helping them win the Champions League title.

The Premier League giants were crowned European champions on Saturday night, June 10, after stunning Inter Milan 1-0 in an epic final staged in Istanbul.

According to The Independent, Rodri's solitary goal was all that City needed to secure their first-ever European title.

Pep Guardiola's charges were keen to lift the title to complete an unprecedented treble, having already won the Premier League and the FA Cup trophies.

However, perhaps they could not have won the UCL were it not for Lukaku's big blunder in the final.

Sportbible reports that the Chelsea striker, who is on loan at Inter Milan, missed a big goalscoring opportunity that would have put the Italian giants ahead.


Lukaku had come on as a second-half substitute to replace the injured Edin Dzeko, only for City to take the lead through Rodri 11 minutes after the missed opportunity.

The Belgian star was at it again in the closing stages of the tie when he blocked his side's potential equaliser from fellow substitute Robin Gosens.

Fans react to Lukaku's blunders

Lukaku's role in the two instances that denied Inter Milan a golden opportunity to see off City earned him unlikely praise from rival fans, with some jokingly labelling him a City legend.

One tweeted: "Romelu Lukaku is a Man City legend."

Another added: "Lukaku is a City legend despite never even playing for them."

However, there are those who were quick to commiserate with the striker, with @Itz_Cinnamon tweeting: "Life can be so tough sometimes."
@Dwellin01424181 observed: "He had a good game though, unlike Dzeko, l think if Lukaku started the game, we could be talking about something else. By far city was a better team."

@ExpatsTripoli concluded: "Unfair, he was much better than his replacement on the starting 11. He should have started the game."