With two volleys from Gundogan, one of them the fastest goal in the history of cup finals, Manchester City captured their second FA Cup under Pep Guardiola (2-1) and is only one game away, the Champions League final against Inter Milan, to become the second English team in history to win the treble.
It will be in seven days when Guardiola’s team, perhaps the most dominant in English football, will have the opportunity to equal the feat of Manchester United in 1999. Inter will have the last word, after United lost the opportunity to be the executioner of the historic season of the ‘Sky Blues’.
In a final that already seemed unbalanced, the outing onto the field for Erik Ten Hag’s men did not help, conceding the earliest goal in the history of the FA Cup finals. , there was a pitch from Stefan Ortega, a prolongation from Haaland, an erratic clearance from Lindelof and a volley to the squad from Ilkay Gundogan. Thirteen seconds and United had already shot themselves in the foot.
And three minutes later, he had to be thankful that the final hadn’t closed yet, because a header from Rodri and a shot from De Bruyne could quickly seal the trophy.
It would have been the natural outcome of the match, because United was not even present, until the VAR brought them out of torpor with an action that practically no one saw.
Bruno Fernandes placed a cross at the far post, Wan-Bissaka won it with a header and the leather touched Jakc Grealish’s hand. A few seconds passed without anyone claiming anything, until the referee stopped the match because he had received the VAR notice. Visit to the screen and penalty for United. Fernandes did not miss from eleven meters, who gave United an undeserved extra ball.
It didn’t take long for him to lose her. Minutes after starting the second half, De Bruyne, in a lateral free kick, brought up Guardiola’s blackboard and United’s lack of learning. The Belgian served the ball Gundogan in the front and the German, with a less clean shot than the first, took a volley before which De Gea, somewhat covered, could do much more.
The Spanish goalkeeper made up for it by avoiding Haaland’s goal, in a good stop below the Norwegian’s shot from the penalty spot, but the general feeling was that the final had gone away in that second volley from Gundogan.
Rashford and an Alejandro Garnacho who came out of refreshment tried with two shots from the edge, also Scott McTominay with a header against the crossbar at the last moment, but there was no surprise, City, the favourites, won their seventh FA Cup, with the which breaks tie with Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United in the list of winners and equals with Aston Villa.
It is the second FA Cup for City since Guardiola was here, after the one they achieved in 2019 by thrashing Javi Gracia’s Watford.
After some celebrations that seem short, due to the importance of what lies ahead, City will begin to prepare for the assault on the Champions League final next Saturday in Istanbul against Inter Milan.
They already have the Premier League and the FA Cup in their pocket, now there is the biggest prize; the ‘Orejona’ and the legendary record of its neighbors.
Datasheet:
2 – Manchester City: Ortega; Walker (Laporte, m.94), Dias, Akanji, Stones; Gundogan, Rodri, De Bruyne (Foden, m.76); Silva, Grealish (Aké, m.89) and Haaland.
1 – Manchester United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof (McTominay, m.83), Varane, Shaw; Casemiro, Fred, Eriksen (Grenach, m.62), Fernandes; Sancho (Weghorst, m.78) and Rashford.
Goals: 1-0 Gundogan, m.1, 1-1 Fernandes, m.33 and 2-1 Gundogan, m.
Referee: Paul Tierney admonished Ortega (m.81) and Rodri (m.90) for Manchester City and Wan-Bissaka (m.45+4) and Fred (m.79) for Manchester United.
Incidents: Match corresponding to the FA Cup final played at Wembley Stadium (London) before 83,179 spectators.
2023-06-03 18:41:04
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