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When Edin Dzeko’s number was up and Romelu Lukaku took the field, the stage was set for the perfect conclusion to Chelsea’s car crash of a season. If Lukaku, the man a team who developed a chronic aversion to scoring, delivered the winning goal in the Champions League, it would be irrefutable proof of Todd Boehly’s anti-Midas touch. Yet there were colliding forces at play and Manchester City duly benefitted. Lukaku’s previous European final for Inter brought an own goal in defeat to Sevilla in the 2020 Europa League. His 2022-23 may forever be defined by his traumatic second half against Croatia, by the four glaring misses that brought Belgium’s golden generation to an end and eliminated his side from the World Cup. But there was a largely luckless sequel. Inadvertently, he blocked Federico Dimarco’s second header after the wing-back struck the bar. When presented with a glorious opportunity, five yards out, he headed against Ederson’s left knee. A player with 351 career goals risks being defined by the ones he didn’t score. But, in fairness to Lukaku, if one man won City their maiden Champions League, it was not him, but Ederson. The Brazilian’s passing can feel more notable than his shot-stopping and he rarely features near the top of the charts for save percentage but he produced three superb stops: first Lautaro Martinez was denied then Lukaku and finally, deep into injury-time, Robin Gosens. There were echoes of a compatriot, Alisson, and the 2019 final: scarcely required in the first three-quarters of the game, he was outstanding at the end. “You have to be lucky. Ederson or they miss it, they could draw,” Pep Guardiola reflected. “This competition is a coin.” Champions League finals can often leave the losers lamenting what might have been. In Inter’s case, there are added reasons to wonder, perhaps for years in the wilderness. “There are no words that can handle the pain but they are the second best team in Europe and that is incredible,” said Guardiola, citing City’s defeat to Chelsea in 2021 to empathise. Yet City may have had that status then; Inter were Champions League runners-up this season but third in Serie A. By some criteria – talent, budget, expectation – they might not be in the continent’s top 10 teams. So this had the feel of a one-off and an emphatic victory in the xG battle showed the quality of their openings, even if pragmatists may care little about such statistics. But if there is never a guarantee teams will return to such occasions, others have been likelier to than this Inter. In 11 previous seasons, they had not even reached the quarter-finals of this competition. An unfancied team overachieved, aided by a favourable draw. Their financial problems mean they will have to continue to beg, borrow and bargain for signings. They may face battles to retain Martinez and Nicolo Barella, two of their most valuable assets. Their starting 111 cost £113 million, less than City paid for Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji alone. Age counts against them: the 35-year-old Francesco Acerbi and the 37-year-old Dzeko offered improbable tales of unexpected progress at points when some of their peers have retired. In all probability, neither will win the Champions League. The old were joined by the old-fashioned. There were points where Inter appeared to be trying to play the 2003 Champions League final in 2023; their seeming passiveness baffled City, their static approach confusing them. Among elderly strikers, manager Simone Inzaghi seemed to cover more ground than Dzeko, the antidote to gegenpressing, standing still rather than hassling City’s defenders. Even when it was walking pace, Dzeko walked less than anyone else. And yet, with their inactivity, Inter exerted a strange kind of control and when Rodri scored, they suddenly started to create: largely from set-pieces and crosses but in a way that showed the merits of Inzaghi’s seemingly antiquated 3-5-2 formation, of having wing-backs who could get forward and twin strikers in the box. Lukaku’s misses notwithstanding, perhaps he should have started. Otherwise, Inter may have been the best version of themselves: organised, tactically astute, confident in their own gameplan. It was an advertisement for Italian strategy, for ignoring the fashions elsewhere in football; Inter looked a team who had plotted a path through the knockout stages with expert nous. Relatively few City players performed anywhere near their best – perhaps only Ederson, John Stones and Nathan Ake, though Kevin de Bruyne created two chances with incisive passes before his early departure – while the majority of those to excel were Nerazzurri. Alessandro Bastoni, Marcelo Brozovic, Dimarco and Barella were all terrific. Andre Onana made a fine first-half save from Erling Haaland. It took a telling deflection to unlock them: not from Rodri’s shot but Bernardo Silva’s cross, which struck Acerbi and fell obligingly for Rodri. For Inter, it might be the hard-luck tale without another chapter. For Inzaghi, reaching the Champions League final on a lesser budget may be a greater feat than Antonio Conte’s unaffordable Scudetto. He has had to be resourceful. He almost reaped the ultimate reward. “I wouldn’t trade these players for anyone and today the whole world saw why,” Inzaghi said. “We conceded little against a very strong team. We have many regrets, but we must be proud.” But pride and regrets could go hand in hand. Inter could have pulled off the greatest shock in a Champions League final since 2005, since it was last in Istanbul. And instead, Lukaku has more harrowing moments to relive. Read More Watch live: Manchester City leave Istanbul after Champions League win Pep Guardiola ended 12 years of hurt thanks to masterful midfield reinvention Manchester City treble-winners can be judged among the greats – Pep Guardiola

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. And get a heads-up on top stories coming this weekend in the Weekend Lookahead Digest. ——————————— TOP STORIES ———————————- ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Former President Donald Trump has blasted his historic federal indictment as “ridiculous” and “baseless” during his first public appearances since the charges were unsealed, painting the 37 felony counts as an attack on his supporters as he tried to turn dire legal peril to political advantage and project a sense of normalcy. By Bill Barrow, Jeff Amy, Jill Colvin, and Meg Kinnard. SENT: 1,230 words, photos, audio. With TRUMP-CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS-LIVE UPDATES. RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR-ENVIRONMENTAL-IMPACT — The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam was a fast-moving disaster that is swiftly evolving into a long-term environmental catastrophe affecting drinking water, food supplies and ecosystems reaching into the Black Sea. The short-term dangers can be seen from outer space — tens of thousands of parcels of land flooded, and more to come. Experts say the long-term consequences will be generational. By Lori Hinnant, Sam McNeil and Illia Novikov. SENT: 1,040 words, photos. UNITED STATES-CHINA-CUBA — China has been operating a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019, part of a global effort by Beijing to upgrade its intelligence-gathering capabilities, according to a Biden administration official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S. intelligence community has been aware of China’s spying from Cuba and a larger effort to set up intelligence-gathering operations around the globe for some time. By Aamer Madhani. SENT: 690 words, photo. OBIT-TED-KACZYNSKI — Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-educated mathematician who retreated to a dingy shack in the Montana wilderness and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, has died. He was 81. Years before the Sept. 11 attacks and the anthrax mailing, the Unabomber’s deadly homemade bombs changed the way Americans mailed packages and boarded airplanes By Michael Balsamo and Lindsay Whitehurst. SENT: 1,220 words, photos, audio. YOUTH-CLIMATE-LAWSUIT-MONTANA — Whether a constitutional right to a healthy, livable climate is protected by state law is at the center of a lawsuit going to trial Monday in Montana, where 16 young plaintiffs and their attorneys hope to set an important legal precedent. By Matthew Brown and Amy Beth Hanson. SENT: 1,200 words, photos. HUNGARY-POLICE-DOG — After a rocket attack in eastern Ukraine, half of Rambo’s face was mangled and bloody. Shrapnel had ravaged the right side of his head, and it was uncertain if he would survive. The 3-year-old German shepherd, who had accompanied Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines of the war, received emergency surgery that saved his life. Now, Rambo is training with the Budapest police department in neighboring Hungary and serving as a reminder that dogs — and people — with disabilities can do great things. By Justin Spike. SENT: 510 words, photos. —————————— MORE NEWS —————————— BKL-MERCURY-GRINER-AIRPORT — The WNBA says Brittney Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates were confronted by a “provocateur” at a Dallas airport. The league said in a statement it was looking into the team’s run-in with a “social media figure” whose “actions were inappropriate and unfortunate.” SENT: 640 words, photos. RUSSIA-AMERICAN ARRESTED — An American musician who has lived in Russia for more than a decade has been arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking, Russian news media reports. SENT: 240 words. ARGENTINA-JAMES CAMERON-LITHIUM — Movie director James Cameron says he feels he “walked into an ambush” this week during a visit to Argentina in which he believes there was an attempt to use his image as an environmentalist to give a positive spin to lithium mining operations despite opposition from Indigenous communities. SENT: 570 words, photos. BKN-HEAT-MASCOT-MCGREGOR — Former UFC champion Conor McGregor knocked out the Miami Heat mascot in a midgame bit that went wrong. Burnie — more specifically, the man who occupies Burnie’s costume — briefly sought medical attention Friday night after taking two punches from McGregor during a third-quarter stoppage of Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Denver Nuggets. SENT: 200 words, photo. ——————————————————— WASHINGTON/POLITICS —————-—————————————- ELECTION 2024-DeSANTIS — Republican White House candidate Ron DeSantis has plowed ahead with efforts to portray himself as his party’s staunchest national conservative leader, even as the 2024 GOP race has been disrupted by drama surrounding the 37-count felony federal indictment for mishandling classified documents against former President Donald Trump. SENT: 850 words, photos. TRUMP-ENDOREMENT-NORTH-CAROLINA — Former President Donald Trump says in North Carolina that he would endorse Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson for governor in a move many delegates expect will cement Robinson’s place as the front-runner in a competitive GOP primary and propel him to the governor’s office. SENT: 810 words, photos. TILLIS-CENSURE-NORTH CAROLINA — Republican delegates in North Carolina have voted at their annual convention to censure Thom Tillis, the state’s senior U.S. senator, for backing LGBTQ+ rights, immigration and gun violence policies. SENT: 560 words, photo. BIDEN-PRIDE-MONTH — President Joe Biden has welcomed hundreds to the White House for a delayed Pride Month celebration. The event is aimed at showing LGBTQ+ people that his administration has their back at a time when advocates are warning of a spike in discriminatory legislation. SENT: 510 words, photos. ———————— NATIONAL ———————— RAILROAD-SAFETY — The Federal Railroad Administration have recently completed a review of Norfolk Southern’s safety culture in the wake of the February’s fiery derailment in Ohio, and officials plan to follow up with similar investigations of all the major freight railroads over the next year. SENT: 420 words, photos. SMOKESTACK-IMPLOSION-DETROIT — The looming smokestack of a shuttered trash incinerator whose stench sickened and angered Detroit residents for decades is coming down in a controlled implosion. SENT: 390 words, photos. CATHOLIC MASS-LGBTQ — A Roman Catholic Mass to be held in western Pennsylvania this weekend in solidarity with LGBTQ Catholics has been canceled at the request of the diocese after protesting emails and calls, some of them threatening, officials say. SENT: 360 words. —————————————- INTERNATIONAL ————————————— MIGRATION-TUNISIA-EUROPE — Tunisia is hosting the leaders of Italy, the Netherlands and the European Union for talks aimed at smoothing the way for an international bailout and restoring stability to a country that has become a major source of migration to Europe. SENT: 640 words, photos. MONTENEGRO-PARLIAMENTARY-ELECTION — Montenegro was holding an early parliamentary election, a vote that could put an end to deep political divisions and years of instability that have hampered the small NATO-member country on its route to joining the European Union. SENT: 390 words, photos. MEXICO-MILITARY KILLINGS — Mexico’s Defense Department says 16 soldiers will be tried on military charges in the killings of five men in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo last month. SENT: 460 words. CHINA-HONDURAS — Honduras has opened an embassy in Beijing, Chinese state media reported, months after the Central American nation broke off relations with Taiwan to form diplomatic ties with China. SENT: 310 words, photo. CHINA-SOUTH-KOREA — A Chinese official lodged a complaint with South Korea’s ambassador to China, in a tit-for-tat move after Beijing’s envoy to South Korea was summoned last week over his comments accusing Seoul of tilting toward the United States. SENT: 290 words, photo. PAKISTAN — Militants have attacked a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan, along the border with Afghanistan, triggering a shootout that left three soldiers and three militants dead, the army says. SENT: 210 words. ———————— SPORTS ———————— SOC-CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL — Billions of dollars have been spent and many tears shed on Manchester City’s journey to the summit of European soccer. The mission was completed in Istanbul’s Ataturk Olimpiyat Stadium as the Abu Dhabi-backed club won the Champions League title for the first time and perhaps heralded the start of a new era of dominance in the competition. SENT: 900 words, photos. TEN-FRENCH-OPEN — Iga Swiatek has defeated Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to collect her third championship at Roland Garros and fourth Grand Slam title. The No. 1-ranked Swiatek raced to a 3-0 lead after just 10 minutes in Court Philippe Chatrier. And then she was ahead 3-0 in the second set, too, before Muchova made things more intriguing. SENT: 890 words, photos, audio. RAC-BELMONT-STAKES — Jena Antonucci turned a Triple Crown marred by thoroughbred deaths on the track and threatened by bad air quality from wildfires in Canada into a celebration for racing and women. Arcangelo took the lead at the top of the stretch and won the Belmont Stakes, making the 47-year-old Antonucci the first female trainer to win a Triple Crown race. SENT: 890 words, photos. HKN-STANLEY-CUP — The Vegas Golden Knights are on the verge of winning their first Stanley Cup title after holding on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in Game 4 of the final. Vegas leads the series 3-1 and can win the NHL championship on home ice Tuesday. Chandler Stephenson scored twice for the Golden Knights and William Karlsson ended his series-long goal drought. SENT: 770 words, photos. ————————- HOW TO REACH US ———————— At the Nerve Center, Vincent K. Willis 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 China complains to South Korean ambassador in tit-for-tat move after Seoul summoned Beijing's envoy Montenegro holds snap parliamentary election that could determine EU path European leaders hope to restore stability in Tunisia, a major source of migration

Pep Guardiola hailed his players for writing themselves into history after Manchester City finally claimed Champions League glory. City secured the prize they have craved for so long when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in a hard-fought final in Istanbul on Saturday night. Rodri scored the only goal of a tough contest in the 68th minute at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, landing City’s first European crown after several years of near misses and completing the treble. Guardiola hopes all of City’s successes, including their five Premier League titles in the past six years, will now be given due credit without the shadow of Champions League under-achievement hanging over them. The City manager said: “Especially this season, the entire world has said if we don’t win the Champions League we will not be complete, it will not be enough. “Winning these five Premier Leagues and arriving in three semi-finals, and two finals, is exceptional, but everyone says, ‘no, you have to win’. “But winning the Champions League every season is difficult unless you are Real Madrid. The other ones sometimes arrive and do it. “Not just for me, for the club, for our CEO and players – we had everything but not the Champions League, as if the Premier League is nothing. “So I like this competition for the fact we won it, to be part of history. The players know they will be remembered for the rest of their lives. “But now give credit for the five Premier Leagues we won in six years. “It is important because people now forget about it and focus on creating a museum to put all our trophies in, because what we have done in the last years is unbelievable, not just the Champions League, but many titles.” City had to dig deep to claim the trophy against a determined Inter side. The Italians sat deep to soak up pressure but, with City also lacking their usual sparkle and losing Kevin De Bruyne to injury in the first half, they grew in confidence. Inter were just beginning to assert themselves when Rodri broke the deadlock, driving from the edge of the area after a Bernardo Silva pass was deflected into his path. They then lived on the edge with Federico Dimarco hitting the bar and having another good chance before Romelu Lukaku was denied by Ederson in the dying moments. City will now celebrate their treble with an open-top bus parade in Manchester on Monday. Guardiola has said he hopes City’s Champions League win will prove the first of many but his tongue was firmly in cheek as he responded to a question over whether the club could build a dynasty like Real Madrid. “We are just 13 Champions Leagues away from them – just 13!” he said. “So be careful Real Madrid because we are on our way. If you sleep a little bit we will catch you.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live MMA great Amanda Nunes retires after win over Irene Aldana at UFC 289 Rory McIlroy in striking distance as he chases Canadian Open hat-trick Sunny Edwards defends world title with unanimous win over Andres Campos

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Man Utd legend Sir Alex Ferguson sent a heartfelt message to Man City boss Pep Guardiola ahead of the Champions League final, the Catalan coach has revealed.