Peter Schmeichel was at the Etihad for Manchester City's Champions League opener against Inter Milan and the former Manchester United goalkeeper was left disappointed by the game and the crowd.
The 2023 UCL final rematch headlined Matchweek 1 of the Champions League. The reigning Serie A champions traveled to Manchester to face the reigning English champions in front of a sea of blue shirts at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola's side came into the match as the favorites to take all three points after its perfect start to the 2024–25 Premier League. Erling Haaland also sat on the cusp of history; the striker needed to find the back of the net just once to become the fastest player to score 100 goals for a single club.
Despite its lackluster start to its Serie A title defense, Inter Milan proved to be a worthy opponent for the Citizens, holding Manchester City to a scoreless draw after 90 minutes. Both sides had their chances, but neither could find the breakthrough.
After the match, Schmeichel spoke with Kate Scott, Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards about his experience at the Etihad.
"There was no atmosphere at the Etihad today." 😴@Pschmeichel1 said they're never beating the allegations 😭 pic.twitter.com/tJFIE61cBE
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 18, 2024
"I don't think it was a good draw. I thought it was a really really boring game," Schmeichel said. "It was dead. The Etihad today was absolutely dead. The only people we could hear were the Inter supporters. They were quite good."
"There was no atmosphere in the Etihad today," he continued. "Normally you think, 'big European night,' but it didn't happen for them."
Richards, the former Manchester City man, implied he had no issues with the atmosphere when he attended City's clash with Brentford at the weekend.
"They might've left all the atmosphere on Saturday," Schmeichel replied. "Honestly, it was so flat."
City is set to host Arsenal on Sunday in the biggest Premier League fixture of the season so far. Guardiola's men will hope to give their fans plenty to cheer about against the Gunners as the Citizens look to remain perfect in their Premier League title defense.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Manchester United Legend Peter Schmeichel Slams Manchester City UCL Atmosphere.
