The pressure of the Champions League final consumed Manchester City players right from the start while Inter Milan won the hearts of neutrals as they almost ended up painting the continent with their own darker shade of blue on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's team completed a rare continental treble, courtesy of a superb 68-minute strike by Rodri against the run of play, but their performance did not translate that of an era-defining team, one that was predicted to stroll to European football's most-cherished crown.

And Guardiola did not hesitate to accept the notion. "You have to be lucky ... It was written in the stars. It belongs to us."

City won despite not being true to their identity and playing style; especially in terms of building from the back, starting with the goalkeeper, which demands patience and courage. In contrast, Inter under Simone Inzaghi showed no impression that they were suffering from the fear of failure on arguably the biggest night in European football.

While City had European silverware long coming following a sustained period of domestic supremacy, Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi had every right to express his pride after seeing his charges in action in Istanbul.

"They showed the whole world how well they stood up to Manchester City, a side that everyone knows has so much quality," Inzaghi said after the match.

"I hugged my players one by one, as they were extraordinary, just as our fans were and deserved a different result, but I hope they were happy seeing the way the team played tonight."

Throughout the game, Inter kept their shape compact and pressed well in the midfield and final third, as expected from a leading Italian side, but little did it explain why City players in possession kept on committing unforced errors, misplaced passes, and failed to establish their characteristic tempo at any stage.

To their credit, Inter mustered efforts and came agonisingly close to an equaliser and threatened to drag a cagey final into extra time with goalkeeper Ederson making two superb late saves. In the end, one may wonder what the outcome might have been had substitute striker Romelu Lukaku been able to head on target from point-blank range.