Watch: Romelu Lukaku makes 'laughable' block to prevent Inter Milan from equalising in the Champions League final

Romelu Lukaku of FC Internazionale reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2022/23 final match between FC Internazionale and Manchester City FC at Atatuerk Olympic Stadium on June 10, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.
(Image credit: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)

Romelu Lukaku has kept Inter Milan 1-0 down in the Champions League final against Manchester City.

The on-loan Chelsea striker got in the way of his own player to block a header that looked destined for the goal. The ball had bounced off the crossbar from Inter just seconds after City had taken the lead, with Lukaku getting in the way of his own man.

"You can laugh now," commentator Darren Fletcher told his colleague Joleon Lescott about the Belgian bumbling in front of the ball's trajectory.

Has Romelu Lukaku prevented Inter Milan from winning the Champions League?

Poor Rom. He scored the own goal in 2020 that won the Europa League for Sevilla against the Nerazzurri. 

Manchester City found the breakthrough at long last in the second half with a stunning drive from Rodri. The Spaniard was on hand from 25 yards to smash the ball into the net for just his second Champions League goal – but it wasn’t an easy ride before the opening strike.

City were rocked in the first half when Kevin De Bruyne had to leave the field through what looked like a hamstring injury, in what was an even and uneventful first 45 minutes. The Premier League champions looked nervous at times, only really having their first chance of the match around 27 minutes through an Erling Haaland smash – but Inter Milan more than held their own.

The second half was largely the same. Romelu Lukaku replaced the cramp-stricken Edin Dzeko after 55 minutes and City – and the floored Pep Guardiola, on his knees on the touchline – were given a massive huge worry just a couple of minutes later when a mix-up between Ederson and Manuel Akanji let Lautaro Martinez into a pocket of space to have a shot at goal. The angle was too tight for the Argentine, however, with Ederson finding himself equal to the shot.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.