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.


Israeli anthem booed, scuffles seen at France game

Israeli anthem booed, scuffles seen at France game
Updated 15 November 2024
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Israeli anthem booed, scuffles seen at France game

Israeli anthem booed, scuffles seen at France game
  • Some 100 Israeli fans come to game despite warning
  • * Police seek to avoid violence seen in Amsterdam

PARIS: Some French fans booed the Israeli national anthem and there were minor scuffles inside a sparsely-attended Stade de France on Thursday for a Nations League game overshadowed by frictions around the Gaza war.
Seeking to prevent a repeat of violence in Amsterdam last week around a Europa League game involving Maccabi Tel Aviv, 4,000 French security personnel were deployed in and around the stadium and on public transport.
Some 100 Israel fans defied a warning from their government against traveling for sports events, sitting in a corner of the 80,000-capacity stadium which was barely a fifth full.
With many staying away due to security fears, the 16,611 attendance was the lowest for Les Bleus at the Stade de France since it opened in 1998. The match ended 0-0.
Some boos and whistles were heard during the playing of the Israeli national anthem, which was then turned up on loudspeakers. Israeli fans waved yellow balloons and chanted “Free the Hostages” in reference to compatriots held by Hamas militants.
As the match got underway, there was a melee near the Israel fans’ section for several minutes, with people seen running and punches thrown. Stewards quickly formed a barrier.
It was unclear what had triggered the trouble.
Leading up to the game, several hundred anti-Israeli demonstrators had gathered at a square in Paris’ Saint-Denis district, perimeter, waving Palestinian flags, as well as a few Lebanese and Algerian ones, to protest against the match.
“We don’t play with genocide,” one banner read, in reference to the Gaza war.
At the end of the match, two Palestinian flags were displayed at the south end of the stadium.
Israel denies allegations of genocide in its more than year-long offensive against Hamas.

Macron attends
Going into the ground, some Israel fans wore both Israeli and French colors. Two wore a t-shirt with Israeli club side Maccabi Tel Aviv’s logo on the front and the words “Ni Oubli Ni Pardon” (Never Forgive Never Forget) on the back.
One person held a paper with “f*** Hamas” written on it.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said this week there was never any doubt the match would go ahead, following the unrest in Amsterdam which saw both Maccabi fans and local groups engage in violence, according to Dutch police.
He said there were no specific threats identified ahead of the game, but that zero risk did not exist.
French President Emmanuel Macron was at the game in a show of solidarity. “We will not give into anti-Semitism anywhere and violence, including in France, will never prevail, nor will intimidation,” he told BFM TV hours before kickoff.
The match came a day after the ninth anniversary of coordinated Islamist attacks on entertainment venues across the French capital, including the national stadium.
Racism and intolerance are rising in France, fueled in part by the war in Gaza after the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023. Similar trends have been witnessed elsewhere in Europe.
Nearly 70 suspects have been arrested and at least five people were injured in last week’s clashes between Maccabi fans and gangs in Amsterdam.


Son scores 50th international goal as South Korea beat Kuwait in World Cup qualifying

Son scores 50th international goal as South Korea beat Kuwait in World Cup qualifying
Updated 14 November 2024
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Son scores 50th international goal as South Korea beat Kuwait in World Cup qualifying

Son scores 50th international goal as South Korea beat Kuwait in World Cup qualifying
  • Jordan and Iraq stayed in second and third place on eight points after drawing 0-0 in Basra
  • Oman are now two points behind after defeating the Palestinian team 1-0

MELBOURNE: Son Heung-min scored his 50th international goal on Thursday as South Korea beat Kuwait 3-1 to take a big step toward an 11th successive World Cup appearance.
The Tottenham forward converted a penalty to make it 2-0 in the 19th minute and help South Korea earn a fourth successive win in Group B of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers to move five points clear at the top with five games to go.
Oh Se-hun headed in South Korea’s opener in the 10th minute and Son, who had just returned from a hamstring injury, extended the advantage after being fouled in the area. Mohammed Daham pulled a goal back with a spectacular strike with 30 minutes remaining but Bae Jun-ho sealed the win for the visitors.
“(Son is) such an important part of our team,” South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said. “He just came back after being hobbled by injury.”
Jordan and Iraq stayed in second and third place on eight points after drawing 0-0 in Basra while Oman are now two points behind after defeating the Palestinian team 1-0.
In Group A, Iran defeated North Korea 3-2 in Laos to move onto 13 points, three clear of Uzbekistan which lost 3-2 at Qatar. The 2022 World Cup host stayed in fourth with seven points, level with the United Arab Emirates which defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-0.
In Group C, Australia and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 in Melbourne and remained level on six points from five games and are joined by China, which defeated Bahrain 1-0 with an injury-time goal from Zhang Yuning. Leader Japan will move seven points clear if they can defeat Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday.
Only the top two of six in each group will qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup. The third- and fourth-place finishers will advance to the next stage.


UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024

UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024
Updated 14 November 2024
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UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024

UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024
  • “A UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to evaluate a potential violation of the UEFA disciplinary regulations by the referee, Mr. David Coote,” UEFA said
  • The report said the incident was filmed one day after Coote’s last match duty, the quarterfinal between France and Portugal

NYON: UEFA started another investigation into English match official David Coote on Thursday after a video allegedly showed him using cocaine during the European Championship.
“A UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to evaluate a potential violation of the UEFA disciplinary regulations by the referee, Mr. David Coote,” UEFA said in a statement.
Coote worked as a video review specialist at Euro 2024, where match officials stayed at a hotel near Frankfurt. He was an assistant supporting the lead VAR official at eight games.
British daily The Sun published a video late Wednesday appearing to show Coote snorting the drug using an American banknote.
The report said the incident was filmed one day after Coote’s last match duty, the quarterfinal between France and Portugal. France won a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.
Coote was suspended on Monday by the English match referees body after a different cellphone video circulated of him making offensive comments with friends about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. That body and the English FA started investigations.
UEFA already withdrew Coote from match duty for national team games this week after the first video was published.
The games he worked at Euro 2024 included host Germany’s 2-0 win over Denmark in the round of 16 that included a controversial penalty award for handball. The lead VAR official at that game, Stuart Attwell, was involved in some of the tournament’s most debated decisions.


Bento feeling the heat as UAE look to revisit former glories

Bento feeling the heat as UAE look to revisit former glories
Updated 14 November 2024
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Bento feeling the heat as UAE look to revisit former glories

Bento feeling the heat as UAE look to revisit former glories

ABU DHABI: A familiar crunch point awaits the UAE and their long-held — but stubbornly unfulfilled — dream of a World Cup return.

Hopes of repeating the heroics of 1990 in 2026, so high after the Whites opened the third round of qualifying with a resounding 3-1 victory over double Asian Cup holders Qatar in September, are receding following a dispiriting single point earned from three subsequent outings.

Their impending double-header in Abu Dhabi against Kyrgyzstan (Nov. 14) and Qatar (Nov. 19) will decide much for Group A’s third-placed outfit. With a team this mercurial, the UAE could just as easily pass the halfway stage, hot on the heels of automatic entry for the 2026 World Cup, as be cast aside.

Last month they were valiant in narrow defeat to second-placed Uzbekistan and insipid throughout a stultifying 1-1 home draw against bottom-placed North Korea.

Paulo Bento is the latest manager to feel the heat. His predecessors — Rodolfo Arruabarrena, Edgardo Bauza, Mahdi Ali and others — all came up short. What can the former Portugal and South Korea head coach do differently to ensure a different outcome?

“I am confident, because I saw the way that the guys approached the training sessions and their focus,” Bento told reporters at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium on Wednesday.

“This, for me, in this moment, is enough. We need to prove this on the pitch. I don’t hide my feelings and my thoughts, they (the players) know the way that we approached the game against North Korea and how we are doing now, it is different.”

The biggest challenge for the 55-year-old is to plot a course without star attacker Ali Saleh, the Al-Wasl talisman who cut Qatar to ribbons in September. Sadly, he is ruled out thanks to injury.

Instead, an engine room also lacking the dynamism of suspended Al-Wahda tyro Abdulla Hamad will be fueled by a recall for Al-Ain’s ceaseless AFC Champions League-holder, Mohammed Abbas, while Sharjah’s versatile Majid Rashid also returns to the fold.

This month’s Ligue 1 breakthrough for Montpellier forward Junior Ndiaye — Dubai-born son of prolific former Al-Nasr attacker Samba N’Diaye — has also been rewarded with a return.

Another naturalized addition is Fleetwood Town utility player Mackenzie Hunt, who provided an assist on his debut at Qatar. Asian football’s rapid improvement leaves question marks about the lasting impact of someone who was a regular on the bench for Premier League club Everton last season but who is yet to find the net in 14 League Two appearances during this one.

Fabio De Lima’s clean bill of health after an enforced absence in October is another welcome boost. With 12 international goals to his name he is three ahead of any other current squad member — namely Caio Canedo, on nine.

It is this lack of lethal players up top that will cause sleepless nights for Bento. Just two goals have been scored in three successive (winless) home qualifiers across the second and third rounds.

The UAE are also Group A’s joint-second lowest scorers, with four strikes in four matches. A cause for concern when just two points separate them, in third, from North Korea in sixth.

Baniyas loanee Fahad Bader, Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai winger Harib Abdalla and club-mate Yahya Al-Ghassani have all yet to find the net in the 2024/25 ADNOC Pro League. Last month’s naturalized debutant, Bruno, is experiencing his most productive start to a domestic campaign, with four goals in seven top-flight games, but he experienced a chastening opening to his international career.

Breakout Asian Cup hero Sultan Adil — with six goals from 11 caps — has not yet kicked a ball in the current campaign.

However, the current crisis has not prompted Bento to turn back the page.

A rapprochement with 85-goal record marksman Ali Mabkhout has stayed off the agenda, despite the 34-year-old’s revitalized vigor at new club Al-Nasr, where five strikes in seven league appearances leave him sitting comfortably as the season’s current lead Emirati goal scorer.

With the number of teams increasing to 48 for the 2026 World Cup, there are greater opportunities for the UAE. The team still feels the burn of 2022, when an agonizing near-miss by a single goal against Australia in the fourth round prevented them from progressing.

This time offers more chances in a new-look fourth round, with the third and fourth-placed finishers pitted against each other. There are also the dreaded inter-confederation play-offs, if required.

Bento’s mission is more than just assembling a winning XI on the pitch. It is to instill the belief that a less-heralded squad can tread where their predecessors could not.

Confidence, however, remains fragile. Wounds from January’s Asian Cup elimination by debutants Tajikistan in a penalty shootout remain fresh. The UAE was further unpicked by qualifying reversals to Iran and Uzbekistan, and an inability to defeat unfancied North Korea still stings.

Recent history, however, provides some encouragement that Bento will eventually prove his worth.

Scathing criticism following quarterfinal failure at the 2019 Asian Cup transformed into glowing tributes when he departed as South Korea’s longest-serving manager, coming on the back of an encouraging 2022 World Cup which included group-stage victory over his native Portugal.

Another redemption arc will secure Bento a cherished spot in UAE sporting lore.


Football ‘world order’ is changing, says Brazil coach

Football ‘world order’ is changing, says Brazil coach
Updated 14 November 2024
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Football ‘world order’ is changing, says Brazil coach

Football ‘world order’ is changing, says Brazil coach
  • Dorival Junior: The top teams haven’t had as much room to grow, while the teams at the bottom are starting to make interesting and big strides
  • After losing half of their initial eight games in South America, Brazil swung back to beat Chile and Peru and are fourth in the table with 16 points after 10 matches

SAO PAOLO: The “world order” of football is shifting, Brazil’s coach Dorival Junior said ahead of a World Cup qualifier Thursday against Venezuela.

“I don’t think we’ll have an easy game. Forget Venezuela, Bolivia recently. Right now the world order is changing a lot,” Dorival said on Wednesday in the Brazilian city of Belem where the team were training.

While pressure has been alleviated by Brazil beating Chile (2-1) and Peru (4-0) in the October doubleheader, the 62-year-old coach warned they, like Argentina, had to recognize they earlier lost ground to previously easier opponents.

“South American football has grown a lot overall. If you look at the majority of the national lineups, you see players playing in teams all over the world, which wasn’t the case until recently,” he said.

“The top teams haven’t had as much room to grow, while the teams at the bottom are starting to make interesting and big strides. This is levelling things a lot and making the matches tighter contests.”

Brazil are still being forged under his watch, meaning their performance will “fluctuate” while that is being worked out, he said.

But Dorival said they were heading toward becoming a “safe,” “strong” and balanced team.

After a bad start in the qualifiers, losing half of their initial eight games in South America, Brazil swung back to beat Chile and Peru and are fourth in the table with 16 points after 10 matches. The top six South American teams directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Brazil sit six points behind current leaders Argentina.

Venezuela rank eighth in the table.

“We’re not in a totally favorable situation, we’re coming from behind... (but) we’re gaining a greater sense of greater structure in the team,” Dorival said.

After Friday’s game against Venezuela, Brazil are to play Uruguay next Tuesday.