Kevin De Bruyne left the Champions League final in the most agonising fashion: battered, bruised and in tears after a clash with Antonio Rudiger.
The Chelsea defender collided with the Manchester City midfielder just after De Bruyne laid off a pass. It seemed accidental but that was no consolation to De Bruyne who - after extensive on-pitch treatment - had to leave the field with a black eye, replaced by Gabriel Jesus.
Rudiger also took a blow and was down for some time, but continued after being booked by the referee for his clumsy play.
The impact was far worse for De Bruyne though, who left the game in tears and with his side 1-0 down following Kai Havertz first-half goal.
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The Belgian playmaker was consoled by Pep Guardiola on the touchline.
That first half produced plenty of action but looked to be goalless until a City delivered a defensive disaster, leaving Havertz in miles of space to score. Mason Mount looked up from just inside his own half and pinged a superb through-ball towards Havertz just before half-time.
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Absolutely no City defender was near him, forcing Ederson to come steaming out of his goal to try and intercept the Chelsea forward. But Havertz calmly rounded him and slid the ball into the net.
It was a surprising end to a superbly entertaining first 45 minutes which had seen both teams create chances.
De Bruyne would have been key to City getting back in the game, but he lasted less than 15 minutes of the second half before having to leave the game after the nasty coming together.
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Featured image credit: BT Sport/Twitter
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Manchester City, Chelsea, Antonio Rudiger, Kevin de Bruyne, Champions League