"He's gonna have to live with that" – Thierry Henry reacts to Romelu Lukaku's performance in UCL final loss to Manchester City
Arsenal great Thierry Henry has expressed his opinion on Romelu Lukaku's outing in Inter Milan's 1-0 loss against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League final on Saturday (June 10).
The Nerazzurri failed to triumph over Pep Guardiola's side in a tightly contested tie at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. After a goalless first half, Rodri scored the decisive goal in the 68th minute of the game for Manchester City.
Lukaku, 30, replaced an injured Eden Dzeko in the 57th minute to partner Lautaro Martinez up front for his team. He registered three shots and completed as many passes, missing a crucial chance in the 88th minute of the clash.
Speaking to CBS Sports, Henry claimed that Lukaku will find his errors in the final difficult to live with. He elaborated:
"He's gonna have to go through exactly what he went through after the FIFA World Cup. Although I think it was a tough one with [Federico] Dimarco, people will still blame him. The header in the six-yard box will come back to haunt him. He's gonna have to live with that. I've won and lost finals... sometimes you're not on the right side."
Lukaku, who is likely to return to Chelsea at the end of his Inter loan, faced a torrid time at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He missed quite a number of chances in Belgium's must-win final group-stage encounter against Croatia.
Overall, the former Manchester United and Everton striker endured a poor season according to his usual standards. He scored 14 goals and laid out seven assists in 37 appearances across all competitions for Inter.
However, the Belgian still finished his campaign with two trophies, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana.
Pep Guardiola makes history after winning treble with Manchester City
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola etched himself in the history books of the sport after guiding his team to a treble in the 2022-23 season. He lifted the Premier League title and the FA Cup prior to his side's continental glory.
Speaking after the UEFA Champions League final, Guardiola shared his thoughts on his feat. He told reporters:
"It was written in the stars that we'd win this season and we did. I'm feeling tired, calm and satisfied. This trophy is so difficult to win. We knew it would be hard. We were anxious in the first half but it was about being patient."
So far, Guardiola has won 14 trophies since being appointed Manchester City boss in 2016. Apart from the UCL win, he has guided them to five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups and two Community Shield crowns.