After a pair of pandemic delays, Champions League final finally returns to Istanbul

By GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer

ISTANBUL (AP) — The “Miracle of Istanbul” happened the last time Turkey hosted the Champions League final. It’s taken nearly two decades to miraculously bring the game back. Istanbul was supposed to host the 2020 Champions League final. It didn’t happen. Then the 2021 final. Also didn’t happen. The coronavirus pandemic upended those plans only weeks before kickoff. Both finals were instead played in Portugal. But Istanbul’s time finally has come again with Manchester City and Inter Milan playing in Saturday’s Champions League final at the 72,000-capacity Ataturk Olympic Stadium. Turkish soccer federation president Mehmet Büyükekşi says “the city is vibrant with the Champions League.”