Pep Guardiola was back in an old haunt and he wanted a picture to mark the occasion. He roped in an old friend. It was in the Allianz Arena in Munich and he had Manchester City’s CEO Ferran Soriano alongside him. City’s run of nine consecutive victories had actually ended but a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich had clinched a 4-1 aggregate triumph. Even for a man who has achieved as much as Guardiola, it was worth getting a memento. Guardiola had three seasons with Bayern, reaching the Champions League semi-finals in each. He has spent much of his seven years at City arguing that the aristocracy of European football have an inherent advantage in the Champions League, some kind of institutional memory that clicks in. City’s possible route to glory now is paved with the past: Bayern in the last eight, the 14-time winners Real Madrid in the last four, Inter Milan in the final. Whether Helenio Herrera, Sandro Mazzola and Giacinto Facchetti will prove much of an advantage in Istanbul remains to be seen. Study the last 12 years, after all, and Inter, with a solitary previous quarter-final appearance, are the rank outsiders on Saturday. But perhaps City have always seen themselves as the outsiders who are desperate to be part of the club: the club of European Cup winners. When Guardiola has said he would rather win the Premier League than the Champions League, or that it is harder to – and he has made both claims over the years – it has scarcely rung true. There are many City supporters who would rather get the better of Manchester United than clubs from Milan, Munich or Madrid, but for manager and hierarchy alike, it has felt like the holy grail. It has been 15 years since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover, 12 since the modern City made their Champions League bow. There are two pertinent comparisons among suddenly moneyed clubs: Chelsea who – unlike the City of 2008 – were already in Europe’s elite competition when bought and who, after a similar assortment of agonising near-misses, won the Champions League nine years into a new regime; and Paris Saint-Germain, who reached the final the year before City but have otherwise been the wrong sort of role models. The serial French champions have five last-16 exits in the last seven seasons; since signing Lionel Messi, they have not reached the quarter-finals. Their emphasis on superstars, on buying success, has been thoroughly discredited. City have taken another approach. Indeed, an examination of its pillars – hiring and supporting a world-class manager, having a defined style of play with a clear commitment to teamwork, astute recruitment over several seasons and an environment where footballers improve – would seem the basis of a Champions League-winning campaign; it was for Liverpool in 2019, after all. And yet recent years have seen other methods prevail, whether mid-season managerial appointments like Roberto Di Matteo, Hansi Flick and Thomas Tuchel having an immediate impact or Real’s innate Realness, their preternatural sense of purpose that Guardiola feared, and amiable man-managers in Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane taking the trophy back to the Bernabeu. City, in contrast, accumulated years of hard-luck stories, near-misses and missteps under Guardiola, a strange combination of the away-goals rule, VAR, cruel late drama and “overthinking”, a narrative so established the Catalan references it, costing them. For City, 12 years of the Champions League divides into three phases and three reigns. There was the underachievement under Roberto Mancini, with two tough group-stage draws and a disappointing campaign followed by a disastrous one; in 2011-12, the Italian alleged Carlos Tevez refused to come off the bench in Munich, but the real nadir was a winless 2012-13; along with fraying relations with his players and employers, Mancini’s wretched record in Europe helped seal his fate. Manuel Pellegrini started the run of 10 successive appearances in the knockout stages. He twice beat Bayern in the group, twice lost to Barcelona in the last 16, when a flurry of City red cards hinted at defensive struggles amid over-attacking tactics and an inability to cope with the best, and once ended up apologising to the people of Sweden after an intemperate criticism of referee Jonas Eriksson. The first time City drew Barcelona it was in part because of an embarrassing miscalculation by Pellegrini: leading 3-2 at Bayern in the last group game, he took off Sergio Aguero without realising an extra goal would have seen City top the pool and avoid the favourites. Pellegrini later steered City to the previously uncharted waters of the semi-finals in 2016, only to go out with a whimper to Real; after being outclassed by Barcelona, it felt like a sign that an inferiority complex remained. But at least Pellegrini’s three Champions League exits were to La Liga’s duopoly. Guardiola’s first five were either to Ligue Un sides (Monaco in 2017 and Lyon three years later) or clubs who finished 25, 27 and 19 points below them in the Premier League in the respective seasons (Liverpool in 2018, Tottenham in 2019 and Chelsea in the 2021 final). Indeed, when comparatively unfancied sides overachieved in the Champions League, there was often a common denominator: they eliminated City en route. The “City-itis” former manager Joe Royle diagnosed in the 1990s – the sense that anything that could go wrong, would, and often in tragicomic circumstances – felt eradicated in the Premier League, but not the Champions League. There was the infamously disallowed Raheem Sterling “winner” against Tottenham – as Fernando Llorente’s hip-goal, with the suspicion the ball had brushed his hand, instead proved decisive; it also followed an Aguero penalty miss in the first leg. There were the two-goal leads City had and lost, to Monaco and then to Real last season. There was the Rodrygo double in the Bernabeu last term, with two goals in as many minutes. There was Liverpool’s destructive blitz of three goals in 19 minutes at Anfield and Guardiola’s self-destructive exit in the second leg, sent off for protesting about a Leroy Sane goal that was chalked off. There were more contentious calls: perhaps Moussa Dembele fouled Aymeric Laporte before he put Lyon 2-1 up. There was Kevin de Bruyne’s fractured nose and eye socket after Antonio Rudiger’s bloodcurdling challenge in Porto. There were the misses: Sterling against Lyon and against Chelsea, Jack Grealish against Real. There was the recurring theme of City getting caught on the counterattack: by Monaco, then Liverpool, then Spurs. There were the ever-present issues of Guardiola’s choices backfiring: Laporte at left-back and Ilkay Gundogan off the right wing at Anfield, De Bruyne on the bench away at Tottenham, no defensive midfielder versus Chelsea and, the worst of the lot, three centre-backs in an overly defensive team who faced Lyon. That was a one-off game and City have lost a lone two-legged tie in four seasons; even then, they were leading after 180 minutes – if not injury time – against Real. But Lyon can assume an almost disproportionate importance. City are unbeaten in 26 home Champions League games, scoring 85 goals; their last defeat was to Lyon. Otherwise, they have turned their groups into processions, topping the pool in their last six seasons. They have often been prolific: sometimes even in ties that brought their elimination. Arguably, over Guardiola’s seven seasons, they have had only had two remotely emphatic exits: to Lyon and Liverpool. Tales of what might have been have abounded. Yet, as rivals could point out, there is a still greater one. City were given a two-year Champions League ban by Uefa in February 2020, it was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport five months later because many of their alleged breaches of financial fair play were not established or time-barred; they had been previously sanctioned. The competition’s anthem has tended to be booed at the Etihad but an essential allegation – that funding from the club’s owners came disguised in inflated sponsorship deals – forms part of the case in the Premier League’s 115 charges against them. It is part of the backdrop. For some, theirs would be a tarnished triumph if they beat Inter. For others, it would be the culmination of an epic quest. There have been cases for arguing that City have been the best team in Europe at various points in recent years. They have never had that official status, however. Guardiola noted recently that, in the last three seasons, City have reached two finals and one semi-final; he could have added that they led for 178 minutes of that semi-final against Real. It is an admirable record, rendering them the most consistent side in continental competition in that time, but it will count for little without the ultimate prize. Now, for the second time, they are 90 minutes away. Now the survivor from their first Champions League game of the 21st century is not Aguero or David Silva but Edin Dzeko, a 37-year-old opponent on Saturday and a throwback to their past. Compared to their last final, they have gone from false nine – in De Bruyne – to genuine No 9, in Haaland, from the far west of Europe, in Porto, to the brink of Asia, in Istanbul. It is a curiously fitting venue. When City’s greatest team of the 20th century won the title in 1968, the charismatic, quotable assistant manager Malcolm Allison said they would “terrify the cowards of Europe”. City duly drew Fenerbahce in the first round of the European Cup, and went out. But perhaps, more than half a century later, Allison’s bravado will find a form of justification and, finally, City will be champions of Europe. Read More This FA Cup was more important than most – but Man City still need more Why has Saudi Arabia become big player in world sport and what does future hold? 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Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan. —————————— TOP STORIES ——————————- RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, “Bakhmut is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today,” contesting Moscow’s claims that it controls the city. It’s impossible to confirm the situation on the ground in the invasion’s longest battle. By Zeke Miller, Elise Morton and Susie Blann. SENT: 1,250 words, video, photos, audio. G7 SUMMIT — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy huddled with some of his biggest backers as the Group of Seven summit closed in Hiroshima. Zelenskyy’s in-person appearance in his trademark olive drab underscored the centrality of the war for the G7 bloc of rich democracies. It also stole much of the limelight from other priorities, including security challenges in Asia and outreach to the developing world, that the leaders focused on at the three-day gathering. By Adam Schreck, Foster Klug and Zeke Miller. SENT: 1,160 words, photos. MASS KILLING-ANNIVERSARIES — As the number of people who die in mass killings in the U.S. continues to rise, thousands more are left to handle the trauma of losing someone they love. One of the hardest days they confront each year is the anniversary of the killing. They grapple with the same question, sometimes after many years have passed: What do I do with myself on the date that changed everything? Some people throw a party to get through the pain. Others prefer to be completely alone. By Trisha Ahmed. SENT: 1,420 words, photos. This is the Monday Spotlight. DEBT-LIMIT — President Joe Biden says Republicans in the U.S. House must move off their “extreme positions” on the now-stalled talks over raising America’s debt limit and that there will be no agreement to avert a catastrophic default only on their terms. By Zeke Miller and Josh Boak. SENT: 680 words, photos. SENATE-FEDERMAN — Before Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman checked himself in to a hospital for clinical depression in February, he used to walk the halls of the Senate stone-faced and dressed in formal suits. These days, he’s back to wearing the hoodies and gym shorts he was known for before he became a senator. People close to Fetterman say his more relaxed style is a reflection of the progress he’s made after six weeks of inpatient treatment for clinical depression. By Mary Clare Jalonick and Marc Levy. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS — Democratic leaders in major U.S. cities are finding themselves politically squeezed when it comes to addressing homelessness. A unanimous New York City Council has passed a “Homeless Bill of Rights.” It not only codifies a long-standing right to shelter but would establish the right to sleep outside. New York would be the first big U.S. city to establish the right if Mayor Eric Adams allows the measure to become law. By Bobby Caina Calvan and Christopher Weber. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. ——————————————————— MORE ON G7 ———————————————————- G7-JAPAN-ECLIPSED BY ZELENSKYY — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s participation in the Group of Seven summit is making some atomic bomb survivors feel the visit is overshadowing their pursuit of nuclear abolishment. They say Zelenskyy’s inclusion at the summit, where discussion is expected to focus on more provisions of weapons, doesn’t fit Hiroshima’s pacifist identity and sends the wrong message. SENT: 620 words, photos. With G7-JAPAN-SOUTH KOREA — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol have prayed together at a memorial for Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombing in Hiroshima on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit. SENT: 550 words, photos. ———————- MORE NEWS ———————- GENDER PRONOUNS-FIRINGS — The firing of two employees at a religious school in western New York is fanning the culture wars roiling parts of the United States. Shua Wilmot and Raegan Zelaya were dismissed as dorm directors at Houghton University because they refused to remove gender pronouns from their work email signatures. SENT: 710 words. MEXICO-RAPE SENTENCE — Mexican prosecutors say they are dropping a case against a woman who was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a man as he raped and attacked her. SENT: 680 words, photos. XGR-INDIANA UNIVERSITY-KINSEY INSTITUTE — Unfounded claims about Indiana University’s sex research institute, its founder and child sex abuse have persisted over the years. The legislature has now prohibited the institute from using state dollars, and funding from the university remains unclear, but the largely symbolic move does not halt the Kinsey Institute’s work, which ranges from studies on sexual assault prevention to contraception use among women. SENT: 870 words, photos. AIR QUALITY-SMOKE-CANADA FIRES — Officials in Colorado and Montana have issued air quality alerts due to smoke from dozens of wildfires in Canada that has drifted south into the United States. SENT: 310 words, photos. ——————————————————— WASHINGTON/POLITICS ———————————————————- ELECTIONS-LOCAL TURMOIL — Far-right conservatives who won majorities on local boards and commissions across the U.S. last year are now pressing agendas that include election distrust, skepticism of government and a desire to have religion play a greater role in public decisions. The consequences are becoming apparent in places like Sumner County, Tennessee, with potential implications for how elections play out in 2024. UPCOMING: 2,100 words, video, photos, 980-word abridged version. TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS — A lawyer who quit Donald Trump’s legal team this past week is attributing his decision to strategy disagreements with a close adviser to the former president. SENT: 400 words, photo. ———————- NATIONAL ———————- FATAL SHOOTING-KANSAS CITY — Police say two people were killed at the scene and a third victim died at a hospital following a shooting at a Kansas City, Missouri, bar early Sunday. SENT: 120 words. ————————————— INTERNATIONAL —————————————- GREECE-ELECTIONS — Greeks are voting in the first parliamentary election since their country’s economy ceased to be subject to strict supervision and control by international lenders who had provided bailout funds during its nearly decade-long financial crisis. The two main contenders in Sunday’s vote are conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a Harvard-educated former banker, and Alexis Tsipras, who heads the left-wing Syriza party and served as prime minister during some of the financial crisis’ most turbulent years. SENT: 900 words, photos. Developing. ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS — An extremist Israeli Cabinet minister has visited a sensitive Jerusalem holy site at a time of heightened tensions with the Palestinians. The visit by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday, his second known visit since becoming a member of Israel’s most right-leaning government ever, drew condemnations from the Palestinians and neighboring Jordan and Egypt. SENT: 660 words, photo. SUDAN — Sudan’s warring factions have agreed to a new short-term ceasefire after several previous attempts to broker a truce that holds have failed. SENT: 230 words, photos. EL SALVADOR-SOCCER STAMPEDE — At least nine people have been killed and dozens more injured when stampeding soccer fans pushed through one of the access gates at a quarterfinal match in El Salvador. SENT: 360 words, photos. NORTHERN IRELAND-LOCAL ELECTIONS — Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein has made sweeping gains in Northern Ireland’s local elections. SENT: 400 words. AFGHANISTAN — The Ministry of Defense says an Afghan military helicopter crashed in the country’s north after hitting a power line base, killing at least two crewmembers. SENT: 190 words, map. IRAN-BORDER CLASH — Iranian state TV says five Iranian border guards were killed in a clash with an unknown armed group trying to enter the country near the Pakistani border. SENT: 220 words, map. ———————— SPORTS ———————— RAC-PREAKNESS — Bob Baffert’s National Treasure has won the Preakness Stakes, hours after another of the Hall of Famer’s horses was euthanized on the track with a racing injury. Derby winner Mage finished third. SENT: 820 words, photos. BKN-NUGGETS-LAKERS — Jamal Murray scored 37 points, Nikola Jokic added 24 points and eight assists, and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals with a 119-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. SENT: 950 words, photos. HKN-PANTHERS-HURRICANES — Matthew Tkachuk finished a feed from Sam Reinhart at the 1:51 mark of overtime to help the Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 for a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference final. SENT: 880 words, photos. ———————- HOW TO REACH US ———————- The Nerve Center can be reached at 800-845-8450 (ext. 1600). For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide AP News Digest 3 am Back in hoodies and gym shorts, Fetterman tackles Senate life after depression treatment Biden: GOP must move off 'extreme' positions, no debt limit deal solely on its 'partisan terms'

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