PSG win the French Cup and the double in Kylian Mbappe’s last game

PSG win the French Cup and the double in Kylian Mbappe’s last game
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe (C) lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates on the podium after winning the French Cup final against Olympique Lyonnais at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, northern France on May 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 26 May 2024
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PSG win the French Cup and the double in Kylian Mbappe’s last game

PSG win the French Cup and the double in Kylian Mbappe’s last game
  • Mbappe: Now, I have nothing left with PSG. But I’m very happy to have been able to finish with a trophy
  • PSG won the league and cup for the first time since 2020 when they achieved a domestic treble by also lifting the now defunct League Cup

VILLENEUVE D’ASCQ, France: Paris Saint-Germain beat Lyon 2-1 in the French Cup final and completed the domestic double in Kylian Mbappé’s last game for the club on Saturday.

France winger Ousmane Dembele and Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz scored for PSG in the first half.

Lyon defender Jake O’Brien got a consolation goal in the second half.

PSG won the league and cup for the first time since 2020 when they achieved a domestic treble by also lifting the now defunct League Cup.

Mbappe celebrated with a big roar after the final whistle. With an equally big smile on his face, he hugged and high-fived his teammates. The ecstatic PSG staff lifted Mbappe and threw him in the air.

“You feel a bit more the weight of things because you realize that it’s really over,” Mbappe told broadcaster beIN Sports. “When I said goodbye to the Parc des Princes, there were still some games left, so you are still focused on what awaits you. Now, I have nothing left with PSG. But I’m very happy to have been able to finish with a trophy.”

Despite losing in the final, Lyon still qualified for the Europa League by finishing sixth in the league.

Dembélé opened the scoring in the 22nd minute by heading home a cross from Nuno Mendes.

Ruiz doubled the lead by converting a rebound in the 34th after his header was blocked by O’Brien.

Lyon goalkeeper Lucas Perri pulled off some outstanding saves in the opening minutes, denying Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaire-Emery, but misjudged the flight of the ball when Mendes made the cross for the opener.

O’Brien cut the deficit to 2-1 by heading in a corner in the 55th.

PSG has struggled in the air this season and nearly conceded from another corner in the 64th, but goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma tipped a header from Lyon left back Nicolas Tagliafico over the bar.

“The players are disappointed but let’s not forget that we must also be proud of what we have done,” Lyon coach Pierre Sage told broadcaster beIN Sports.

Lyon was bottom of the league in December but racked up more points than any other club in the second half of the season to finish sixth.

Mbappe tried hard to find the net in his last outing for PSG. A curling shot from the edge of the box didn’t trouble Perri in the 20th and he volleyed over the bar in the 41st.

In seven seasons with PSG, Mbappe has won 15 trophies, including four French Cups.

Although Mbappe did not add to his tally, he leaves as PSG’s all-time top scorer in all competitions with 256 in 308 appearances.

“I’m happy to have been part of its history and to have made it a bit,” Mbappe said.

The French Cup final was marred by violence as Lyon and PSG supporters clashed on a highway leading to the venue a few hours before kickoff.

Supporters threw flares and windows were smashed on buses full of supporters. Some buses were set on fire.

The match was relocated to Stade Pierre Mauroy in the north of France because of preparations for the Olympic Games.

Villeneuve d’Ascq became the first city outside the Greater Paris area to host the French Cup final since the competition’s inception in 1917.


Argentina without Messi win at Uruguay, need a draw with Brazil to qualify for 2026 World Cup

Argentina without Messi win at Uruguay, need a draw with Brazil to qualify for 2026 World Cup
Updated 22 March 2025
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Argentina without Messi win at Uruguay, need a draw with Brazil to qualify for 2026 World Cup

Argentina without Messi win at Uruguay, need a draw with Brazil to qualify for 2026 World Cup
  • Argentina’s midfielder Thiago Almada celebrates after scoring during the 2026 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiers football match between Uruguay and Argentina at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo, on Friday. (AFP)
  • Argentina lead the round robin competition with 28 points after 13 matches, and could secure their place with a home draw with Brazil on Tuesday

MONTEVIDEO: Argentina didn’t miss Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez and other key players on Friday and beat Uruguay away 1-0 in convincing fashion in their South American World Cup qualifying match.

Thiago Almada scored the winner with a powerful curled shot from the edge of the box, putting the defending champions one point away from their direct spot in the tournament next year.

Argentina lead the round robin competition with 28 points after 13 matches, and could secure their place with a home draw with Brazil on Tuesday. The team of coach Lionel Scaloni already has 15 points ahead of 7th-placed Bolivia, with only five rounds to the end of the competition.

The last time the two soccer powerhouses clashed, Argentina won 1-0 at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Earlier, Ecuador defeated Venezuela 2-1 and moved into second place in South American World Cup, edging close to reaching the tournament once again.

Brazil is third with 21 points, one ahead of Uruguay and Paraguay. Colombia, with 19 points, has the sixth position.

The top six teams will secure direct berths to the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The seventh-place team among the 10 of the region will still have a chance to qualify through an international playoff.

No Messi, no problem

Argentina had to accommodate key absences beyond Messi. Lautaro Martinez, Lisandro Martínez, and Rodrigo De Paul did not play in Montevideo. So coach Lionel Scaloni gave a place to Giuliano Simeone in the starting lineup, with Julián Álvarez and Thiago Almada up front.

Uruguay, playing in a full Centenario Stadium against their archrival, took the initiative and had the clearest chances in the first half. But Argentina managed to hold their ground and started getting the better opportunities after halftime.

Almada’s goal in the 68th minute, after Argentina had wasted several other opportunities in front of goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, still didn’t push Uruguay forward as Marcelo Bielsa’s team finished the match with only four shots on goal.

“I was a little anxious, very willing to play and to show why I was making the squad,” said Almada, a world champion with Argentina in 2022. “Now we have to rest and wait for this match against Brazil, they will rest one more day than us.”

Argentina’s Nico González will miss the match against Brazil. He was sent off after a challenge against Nahitan Nandez in injury time.

Brazil have selection problems of their own for Tuesday’s match at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium, as starting goalkeeper Alisson, defender Gabriel Magalhaes and midfielder Bruno Guimaraes are all ineligible to play.

Argentina coach Scaloni celebrated his team’s performance despite so many absences.

“We made a complete match, we absorbed the pressure. When we had to play, we did it. And when we had to defend, we did it too,” Scaloni said in a press conference. “I am happy not only for our win, but also for how the team behaves.”

Uruguay will have a chance to recover against Bolivia on Tuesday. If the Bolivians fail to beat the Uruguayans, Argentina will qualify for the World Cup even if it loses against Brazil.

Valencia brace

Enner Valencia, Ecuador’s all-time top goal-scorer, added another two to his tally on Friday.

The striker broke through the Venezuelan defense in the 39th minute and scored with a powerful right-footed shot from an acute angle. In the first minute of the second half, he added the second after a run on the left flank ended in a classy poach over goalkeeper Rafael Romo.

Valencia could have had a third from the spot in the 69th but he missed it.

Jhonder Cádiz scored for Venezuela in injury time.

Venezuela has not won for nine straight games and remains in eighth place. The team still has a chance of qualifying for the first time in history.

Ecuador started the competition with a three-point deficit due to fielding Byron Castillo, who was actually Colombian and ineligible to play in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Now it is close to returning to the tournament in with a steady, confident squad.

Ecuador will travel to play 10th-placed Chile on Tuesday. Venezuela will play host to 9th-placed Peru.

_


Mexican club Leon banned from FIFA Club World Cup

Mexican club Leon banned from FIFA Club World Cup
Updated 21 March 2025
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Mexican club Leon banned from FIFA Club World Cup

Mexican club Leon banned from FIFA Club World Cup
  • Leon expressed their “anger and indignation” on social media, saying the decision “goes against the spirit of fair competition” and aim to appeal
  • “The club to be admitted as a replacement to be announced in due course,” FIFA said

PARIS: Club Leon from Mexico were incensed Friday after they were banned from the June-July Club World Cup in the United States for violating rules on multi-ownership, FIFA announced Friday.
Leon expressed their “anger and indignation” on social media, saying the decision “goes against the spirit of fair competition” and aim to appeal.
A FIFA appeals committee, responding to a complaint by Costa Rican club Alajuelense, ruled that Leon and another club from Mexico, Pachuca, failed to meet tournament regulations on multi-club ownership. Both sides are owned by Grupo Pachuca.
Leon, the winners of the 2023 CONCACAF regions Champions Cup, were thrown out of the World Club Cup. Pachuca, CONCACAF champions in 2024, were allowed to remain.
“Club Leon will be removed from the competition, with the club to be admitted as a replacement to be announced in due course,” FIFA said in a statement.
Article 10.1 of the tournament regulations states that no participating club can directly or indirectly hold or deal in the securities or shares of any other club in the competition.
“We are an independent, autonomous and sovereign team. Let there be no doubt,” Leon protested on social media, adding that they “won the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League title with fairness and professionalism.”
The club condemned “a measure that is cruel, unfair, which we do not endorse and we do not know who it benefits, but who it harms: our fans.”
“Club Leon will appeal this decision and we will go to the ultimate lengths to defend the place we attained in the Club World Cup.”
Leon had been drawn to face English giants Chelsea on June 16 in Atlanta before playing Brazil’s Flamengo and Esperance of Tunisia.
The 32-team event takes place from June 14 to July 13 in the United States.
Alajuelense was knocked out in the round of 16 in the CONCACAF Champions League by clubs from the United States the last two seasons.


Liverpool’s Alisson returns early from Brazil duty with suspected concussion

Liverpool’s Alisson returns early from Brazil duty with suspected concussion
Updated 21 March 2025
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Liverpool’s Alisson returns early from Brazil duty with suspected concussion

Liverpool’s Alisson returns early from Brazil duty with suspected concussion
  • The 32-year-old collided with opposing defender Davinson Sanchez in Brazil’s 2-1 win against Colombia
  • “Alisson, who suffered a head knock, is fine and has no medical complaints,” a CBF statement read

BRASILIA: Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker has returned early to his club Liverpool after suffering a bang to the head while on international duty, the Brazilian football federation (CBF) announced Friday.
The 32-year-old collided with opposing defender Davinson Sanchez in Brazil’s 2-1 win against Colombia in South American 2026 World Cup qualifying action on Thursday.
Under FIFA’s concussion protocol, Alisson left the field in the 78th minute and must take a break, meaning he will miss out on Brazil’s clash with Argentina.
“Alisson, who suffered a head knock, is fine and has no medical complaints,” a CBF statement read.
“However, he needs to follow FIFA’s concussion protocol...(and) will return to (his) club to continue the recovery process.”
Alisson joins a mounting list of injuries in the Liverpool squad, with defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley already on the treatment table.
Another concern for manager Arne Slot is midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, who withdrew from the Netherlands squad on Wednesday with a fitness issue.
Liverpool sit 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League and are next in action on April 2 when they host local rivals Everton.


Saudi team arrive in Japan ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier

Saudi team arrive in Japan ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier
Updated 21 March 2025
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Saudi team arrive in Japan ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier

Saudi team arrive in Japan ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier
  • The Green Falcons will hold a closed training session tomorrow
  • The Saudi team arrived in Japan a day after beating China 1-0

SAITAMA, Japan: Saudi Arabia’s national football team arrived in Saitama, Japan, on Friday evening, where they will face their hosts on Tuesday in the seventh round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The Green Falcons are expected to hold a closed training session on Mar. 22 at 7 p.m. at the sub-field of Saitama Stadium 2002 in preparation for their match against Japan.
The Saudi Arabian team arrived in Japan a day after beating 10-man China 1-0 in Riyadh to get their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign back on track.
Upon arriving at Narita International Airport, the Saudi delegation was welcomed by Anas Al-Nuwaiser, the Kingdom’s deputy ambassador to Japan, Ahmed Al-Fadhel, head of consular affairs, and Adel Al-Kunhail, head of protocol and relations, as well as members of the embassy staff.
The secretary-general of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Ibrahim Al-Qassem, expressed his thanks to the Saudi Embassy for their warm welcome and the support provided to the delegation upon arrival.
The national team left Riyadh earlier on Friday from King Khalid International Airport.


Spain salvage streak with last-ditch Netherlands draw in Nations League

Spain salvage streak with last-ditch Netherlands draw in Nations League
Updated 21 March 2025
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Spain salvage streak with last-ditch Netherlands draw in Nations League

Spain salvage streak with last-ditch Netherlands draw in Nations League

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: European champions Spain salvaged their two-year unbeaten streak in the dying minutes of Thursday’s Nations League quarter-final first leg, denying 10-man Netherlands a famous victory with a 2-2 draw.

Mikel Merino broke Dutch hearts in the third minute of added time, to maintain an unbeaten run that now stretches to 22 competitive games.

The two powerhouses of world football meet again in Valencia on Sunday, with the winner of the tie to face France or Croatia in the semifinal.

The omens were good for the hosts, who had never lost to Spain on home soil, and could count on raucous support from a sold-out De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam.

But Spain also had good memories of the stadium, the scene of their 2023 Nations League triumph, where they beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties.

The visitors struck first, benefitting from some defensive fraility and deft footwork from star winger Nico Williams.

Barcelona’s 17-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal dispossessed Jorrel Hato on the right side, finding club-mate Pedri who slotted into Williams in the box.

Williams effortlessly turned Lutsharel Geertruida and slid his shot past Bart Verbruggen in the Dutch goal to silence the orange hordes.

The hosts rallied strongly and got their reward on 27 minutes, the ball breaking for Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo who beat Unai Simon at his near post.

The equalizer galvanized the Dutch, who enjoyed possession and pressure, knocking the ball around with confidence and creating several chances.

The best of these fell to Memphis Depay, recalled after a spell in the wilderness and he found himself unmarked in the Spanish box but struck his shot straight at Simon.

An acrobatic strike from AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders grazed the Spain bar and it was the Dutch who went into half-time in the ascendancy after a free-flowing first period.

The Oranje took the lead less than a minute into the second half, Jeremie Frimpong breaking swiftly down the right and squaring accurately to Reijnders, who swept his shot into the left corner.

Gakpo came close to stretching the lead even further in the 59th minute but Simon got down to his stinging shot along the ground.

Spain manager Luis De la Fuente made three substitutions in a bid to exert some pressure on the Dutch, but Verbruggen was untroubled until the 70th minute when he had to react smartly to a ball deflected off his own defender.

La Rioja pushed for the equalizer with some intricate passing around the penalty box but lacked real penetration.

As pressure built, players on both sides became increasingly scratchy, culminating in a red card for Hato, who lunged at Robin Le Normand, catching his ankle.

That sparked a nervous last few minutes for the Dutch and the pressure eventually told.

Williams again harassed the Dutch defense, cutting inside from the left and releasing a shot that Verbruggen could only parry into the path of Merino for a tap-in.