2021 UEFA Champions League final

Venue

The match was the fourth European Cup/Champions League final held in Portugal and the first outside Lisbon, following finals at the Estádio Nacional in 1967 and the Estádio da Luz in 2014 and 2020. It was the first time the final took place in the same country in successive seasons. The Estádio do Dragão had previously hosted matches at UEFA Euro 2004 and the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. This final was also the first since 2004 to be held in a stadium with a capacity below 60,000.

An open bidding process for the 2020 final began on 22 September 2017, with associations expressing interest by 31 October 2017 and submitting dossiers by 1 March 2018. Associations hosting matches at UEFA Euro 2020 were ineligible to bid. On 3 November 2017, two associations had expressed interest. The Atatürk Olympic Stadium was selected on 24 May 2018.

Due to the postponement and relocation of the 2020 final to Lisbon, Istanbul was instead scheduled to host the 2021 final. Two weeks before the match, UEFA relocated it to Porto to allow a limited number of fans, with a 33% capacity limit resulting in an attendance of 14,110. Aston Villa had offered Villa Park as an alternative venue to hold 8,000 English fans, but on 7 May 2021, the UK Secretary of State for Transport advised against travel to Turkey for the game.

Background

Manchester City were playing in their first European Cup/UEFA Champions League final, having previously won the 1970 European Cup Winners' Cup. They became the ninth distinct English side to reach a European Cup final. Manager Pep Guardiola was in his third Champions League final, his first since winning with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011. City sought to become the first club to win its first European Cup title since Chelsea in 2012.

Chelsea were in their third European Cup final, first since their 2012 win. They had won all four of their previous UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Europa League finals. Chelsea became the first club to have both its men's and women's teams reach the Champions League final in the same season. Head coach Thomas Tuchel was the first manager to reach the final in successive seasons with different clubs, having lost the 2020 final with Paris Saint-Germain.

This was the third all-English final, after 2008 and 2019, and the third consecutive final to feature a first-time finalist.

Pre-match

On 12 May 2021, UEFA appointed Spaniard Antonio Mateu Lahoz as referee for the final. He had been a FIFA referee since 2011 and served as fourth official in the 2019 final. He officiated six matches in the 2020–21 Champions League season and was a referee at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and an official for UEFA Euro 2020. His fellow countrymen Pau Cebrián Devís and Roberto Díaz Pérez del Palomar were assistant referees, Carlos del Cerro Grande was fourth official, and Alejandro Hernández Hernández was video assistant referee. Juan Martínez Munuera, Íñigo Prieto López de Cerain, and Polish referee Paweł Gil were assistant VAR officials. American DJ Marshmello performed a virtual opening ceremony with Selena Gomez and Khalid.

Match

The match kicked off around 8 p.m. before 14,110 spectators. In the fourth minute, Kai Havertz played the ball across the Manchester City penalty area but it was gathered by Ederson. In the 15th minute, Mason Mount passed to Werner, who shot straight at Ederson, then saw a subsequent strike tipped away. Ben Chilwell crossed to the far post but N'Golo Kanté's header went over the bar.

In the 28th minute, Phil Foden was tackled by Antonio Rüdiger as he prepared to shoot. With ten minutes of the half remaining, İlkay Gündoğan was booked for a foul on Mount. In the 38th minute, Kanté played to Havertz, who was denied by Oleksandr Zinchenko. A minute later, Thiago Silva was replaced by Andreas Christensen due to injury.

Three minutes before half-time, Mount passed to Havertz, who went one-on-one with Ederson; the goalkeeper deflected the ball but Havertz passed it into an empty net for a 1–0 lead. Three minutes of stoppage time were added. No changes were made at halftime. Manchester City dominated early in the second half.

Twelve minutes in, Rüdiger was booked for a foul on Kevin De Bruyne, who left the pitch in tears under concussion protocol and was replaced by Gabriel Jesus. Two minutes later, City appealed for a penalty when the ball struck James on the arm, but VAR decided against a foul as the ball deflected off James' chest first. In the 64th minute, Bernardo Silva was replaced by Fernandinho, and Christian Pulisic came on for Werner.