Soccer Monday: Man City takes Community Shield, Spain wins again and USWNT golden
Kick the week off with all the news from this past weekend
Good morning and happy Monday!
The Paris Olympic came to an end on Sunday. The U.S. won gold in women’s soccer. Spain, meanwhile, capped off its successful international run with gold in the men’s tournament.
The club season in England began with the Community Shield, while a smattering of preseason games wrapped up ahead of next weekend’s start.
Here’s a look at the highlights from this past weekend:
3. Man City starts the season off with a trophy
The Community Shield may not be considered a major trophy, but it’s a snapshot of how a team is doing at the start of the season.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Manchester City started the season off on Saturday by winning a trophy, defeating rivals Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on penalties.
After a 1-1 draw in regulation, City, the defending league champions, won 7-6 to capture the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season in a match pitting the winners of last season’s Premier League and FA Cup.
City ended a run of three straight defeats in the Community Shield — to Leicester City, Liverpool then Arsenal over the past three years — and went some way to avenging the loss to Man United in last season’s FA Cup final.
It looked like United would be claiming another Wembley win over its neighbor when second-half sub Alejandro Garnacho cut inside and drove a low shot inside the near post in the 82nd minute. Man City equalized in the 89th when Bernardo Silva, also a substitute, headed in from Oscar Bobb’s cross.
2. Spain wins another men’s final
Less than a month after winning the European Championship, Spain captured Olympic gold in a thrilling 5-3 extra-time victory on Friday against European rovals France.
Sergio Camello’s two goals settled an epic match in Spain’s favor after France fought back from 3-1 down to force extra time at Parc des Princes in Paris.
“We are the happiest children in the world,” Camello, who had come on as a sub in the 83rd minute, told reporters.
France took an early lead with Enzo Millot, but Spain responded with three goals in a span of just 10 minutes as Barcelona star Fermin Lopez Lopez struck twice and Alex Baena made it 3-1 in the 28th minute.
Spain, which lost the final to Brazil at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, became the first European gold medalist in men’s soccer since it last won the tournament at home during the 1992 Barcelona Games.
1. USWNT wins Olympic gold
The U.S. women’s team won its fifth Olympic gold medal, beating Brazil 1-0 in the tournament final on Saturday at the Parc des Princes.
The Americans, who hadn’t won gold since the 2012 London Olympics, closed out an undefeated run to the title in their first international campaign under manager Emma Hayes.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, meanwhile, preserved the win thanks to a one-handed save on Adriana’s header in stoppage time.
“We’ve grown so much,” said striker Mallory Swanson, who scored the game’s only goal in the 57th minute. “And that’s really cool to me seeing that. We’ve grown on and off the field. And you keep probably hearing it — we’re playing with joy. We’re having so much fun and I’m just so happy.”
The win came a year after the USWNT was eliminated in the round of 16 at the World Cup to Sweden on penalties. Over the course of the year, the Americans hired Hayes and the roster was rebuilt around the team’s younger stars.
The results have clearly — and quickly — paid off with the 2027 Women’s World Cup next on the team’s list of priorities.
In other news: Chelsea keeps on spending after signing Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton on a seven-year contract for a transfer fee of $69 million. The Portugal international joins Enzo Maresca’s team ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Manchester City. Neto spent five seasons at Molineux, scoring two goals and providing nine assists in 20 appearances last season. … Former Manchester United goalie David De Gea signed a one-year deal with Serie A side Fiorentina after a taking a year away from the game. The 33-year-old Spaniard did not play last season after leaving United as a free agent following a 12-year spell. … England has delayed hiring a permanent manager to replace Gareth Southgate and will be led on an interim basis by Lee Carsley, who is currently in charge of the country’s Under-21 side. Carsley’s first games as coach of the senior team will be against Ireland and Finland in the Nations League next month.