Man City finally conquer Europe but two England teams suffer heartbreak in 2023

City added the Champions League to their domestic double but England lost in the Women’s World Cup final and Rugby World Cup semi-finals.

Erling Haaland holds aloft the Champions League trophy (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Archive)

Manchester City will remember 2023 as the year they finally conquered Europe and all before them but there was heartbreak on the world stage for two England teams.

A fifth Premier League title in six years and a derby victory in the FA Cup final cemented Pep Guardiola’s side’s dominance of domestic football and, led by the unstoppable Erling Haaland, a first Champions League crown followed.

There could be no argument that City deserved it, with European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid comprehensively beaten before Rodri scored the only goal of a final victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul.

City have found backing up their treble a little tricky so far, with the Premier League shaping up to be a more even playing field, but Guardiola’s men have no more questions left to answer.

England’s women were attempting to follow their brilliant European Championship triumph by winning the World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.

Sarina Wiegman’s team overcame Lauren James’ red card to edge past Nigeria on penalties before seeing off Colombia and hosts Australia but, despite the heroics of Mary Earps in goal, Spain proved too strong, with Olga Carmona scoring the only goal in the final.

The biggest moment in Spanish women’s football history was soured, though, by the behaviour of then federation president Luis Rubiales, who eventually resigned after he was widely criticised for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the presentation ceremony.

England did not appear to be among the favourites heading into the Rugby World Cup but came agonisingly close to a second successive final appearance, suffering a last-gasp semi-final loss against South Africa.

The Springboks then held off New Zealand for a historic successful title defence, with Wales and Six Nations Grand Slam winners Ireland both seeing their hopes end in the last eight.

England’s defence of their Cricket World Cup crown, meanwhile, could scarcely have gone any worse, with only three wins from nine games in India.

The hosts were virtually flawless until the final but the hopes of a nation were dashed by a brilliant performance from Australia.

Australia also retained the Ashes after a close series, with England facing questions over their gung-ho style of play but fighting back to draw 2-2 after losing the first two matches.

Politics remained an ever-present bedfellow, with Saudi Arabia continuing their push into the sporting landscape.

LIV Golf impacted the Ryder Cup, with several familiar faces missing, but Luke Donald’s Europe stole the show over three brilliant days in Rome, defeating the US 16.5-11.5 to reclaim the trophy.

The Solheim Cup also provided plenty of drama, with Europe recovering from 4-0 down to clinch a 14-14 draw and keep hold of the trophy.

The issue of whether to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete amid the ongoing war in Ukraine saw Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association reverse their ban from 2022, which had resulted in strong sanctions from the ATP and WTA.

With ranking points restored, 20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz stunned Novak Djokovic over five sets in one of the great Wimbledon finals.

It was the only real blip in another astonishing season from Djokovic, though, who won the other three grand slam titles to move clear as the most successful male player in history.

Coco Gauff won her first slam title at the US Open, joining Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Marketa Vondrousova in lifting the sport’s most prestigious trophies on the women’s side.

Formula One was again the Max Verstappen show, the Dutchman winning a record 19 of the 22 grands prix.

With thoughts turning to next summer’s Olympic Games, there were encouraging signs for Britain at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon and 1500 metres runner Josh Kerr took gold.

It will also be remembered as a good year for Celtic, who won the league and cup double in Scotland, Chelsea Women, who achieved the same feat in England, Gallagher Premiership champions Saracens, Super League winners Wigan, and Leigh, who claimed a brilliant Challenge Cup victory.