Soccer Monday: Man City wins FA Cup, Napoli fans party on and Messi’s last PSG game
Everything you need to know about a weekend packed with action
It was a weekend filled with teams lifting silverware. Manchester City completed the league-cup double after beating rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final ahead of next Saturday’s Champions League final encounter against Inter Milan.
Napoli, meanwhile, were finally presented with the trophy before their home fans for winning the Serie A title. It was another excuse for Napoli fans across the city, and around the world, to celebrate their historic season.
Here are the three big headlines from this weekend:
3. Man City treble still on course
Manchester City added the FA Cup to its Premier League title on Saturday, moving to within one win of completing a historic treble as they beat rivals Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.
Two goals from captain Ilkay Gundogan, tue first after just 12 seconds, gave Man City the win. The goal was the fastest ever scored in FA Cup final history following a stunning volley and tallied what turned out to be the winning goal seven minutes after halftime.
“We can now talk about the table,” Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola told reporters after the game. “Of course, we still have to win the Champions League. We performed so well for our city and our fans.”
Manchester City can complete the treble on Saturday in Istanbul should the team win what would be its first Champions League title in club history.
2. Napoli caps off historic season with a win
The Serie A season came to an end Sunday with Napoli finally being presented with the league trophy they officially clinched last month. Striker Victor Osimhen finished the season with 26 goals for Napoli, earning him the title of league top scorer.
Napoli, who had last won the league 33 years ago, celebrated following a 2-0 win against already-relegated Sampdoria at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Giovanni Di Lorenzo became only the second Napoli captain — other than Maradona — to lift the title for Napoli.
Meanwhile, Verona will play Spezia in a one-game playoff after losing 3-1 at fourth-placed AC Milan on Sunday as Rafael Leao’s two goals and an Olivier Giroud penalty secured the win before striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement.
Verona and Spezia, who lost 2-1 at Roma, both finished the season with 31 points. The game to determine who will stay up will be played next Sunday at a neutral site.
1. Messi’s PSG exit start of the silly season
Leo Messi’s last game for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday was highlighted by fans booing the World Cup winner. In the process, PSG managed to lose the final game of the season 3-2 at home to Clermont Foot.
Although PSG captured the Ligue 1 title this season, it was the team’s failure to win the Champions League that had fans in Paris upset. The game also marked Messi’s final appearance for the club after the Argentine failed to sign a contract extension earlier this year.
Where Messi will go next is the focus of much speculation and will certainly dominate the summer’s newspaper headlines loaded with transfer rumors — a period in soccer known as the “silly season” — about where players will sign.
Where Messi will go next is anyone’s guess — either a return to Barcelona, a move to MLS or joining Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia — but stay tuned since this summer saga is just about to begin.
In other news: Barcelona mounted a stunning second-half comeback, overturning a 2-0 deficit to defeat Wolfsburg 3-2 on Saturday and win its second Women’s Champions League title. … Mexican side Club Leon defeated Los Angeles FC 1-0 on Sunday night to win the CONCACAF Champions League 3-1 on aggregate. … Uruguay eliminated the United States 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Argentina. The semifinals will feature Uruguay versus Israel and Italy taking on South Korea. Both games will be played Thursday. The final is scheduled for Sunday at the Estadio Unico Diego Armando Maradona in La Plata.