PARIS, May 26: 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 it achieved a domestic treble by also lifting the now defunct League Cup.
Mbappé 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 Mbappé and threw him in the air.
“You feel a bit more the weight of things because you realize that it’s really over,” Mbappé said. “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.
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.
Mbappé 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,” Mbappé said.
PSG, LYON FANS CLASH
The latest incident of fan violence to mar French soccer this season led to 30 injuries after rivals from Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain fought on a highway before Saturday’s French Cup final near the city of Lille.
Prefecture officials in charge of France’s northern region said in a statement Sunday that 14 of the injured needed medical treatment. One bus was burned and two others damaged during the clashes, which involved more than 200 fans and took place at around 6 p.m. local time. Eight police officers sustained minor injuries.
Images online showed rivals charging into each other before one of the groups, clad all in white, clambered over barriers and retreated across a nearby field.
Supporters threw flares and windows were smashed on buses.
The final was deemed a very high security risk by the national police division for the fight against hooliganism, and the incidents happened despite fan buses from both clubs being escorted by police.
Lyon and PSG ultras have a long-standing rivalry and were expected to travel to Villeneuve d’Ascq for the final.
The PSG group was dressed in dark clothing while the other was in white, representing Lyon.
Some wore balaclavas to hide their faces as they fought. (PTI)
