For the first time in 13 years, there will be no French player competing in the UEFA Champions League final, following Real Madrid’s elimination at the hands of Manchester City on Wednesday.
After a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu in the first leg of the semi-final, Real Madrid were blown away at the Etihad Stadium. Former AS Monaco player Bernardo Silva netted a first-half double before Manuel Akanji and Julián Álvarez added to the scoresheet in the second half to give the Cityzens a 5-1 aggregate win.
The performances of Real Madrid’s French contingent were criticised. Both Karim Benzema and Eduardo Camavinga were given a rating of 3 by L’Équipe.
Manchester City will therefore face Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on 10th June in a match that, notably, won’t include any French players. The last time that was the case was in 2010, when Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich to win their third Champions League title, thanks to a Diego Milito brace at the Bernabeu.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
