MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP)— Thousands of Manchester City fans spilled onto the streets in celebration on Saturday after the English champions beat Inter Milan 1-0 to lift the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.

The blue side of Manchester had long lived in the shadow of rivals Manchester United until an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008 transformed City’s fortunes.

Under manager Pep Guardiola, City have become the dominant force in English football in recent years but had still never conquered Europe until Spanish midfielder Rodri scored the only goal in Istanbul to spark joy in northwest England.

“One of the best nights of my life,” said supporter Jacob Evans after watching on a big screen as 6,000 City fans crammed into a fan zone. “You saw the bodies in there. It was incredible.”

Supporters climbed onto bus shelters as Piccadilly Gardens in the heart of Manchester was awash with fans in sky blue shirts.

“It was deserved. It was the one we’ve missed out on over the last few years,” said another fan Shaun Stevens.

“It was always the stick people used to beat Man City. No European Cup, no European Cup. What can you say now? Nothing.”

The celebrations are only just beginning with the players set to parade their treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies in an open-top bus through Manchester on Monday.