French Ligue 1
NEYMAR WINS FRENCH CUP FINAL FOR PSG BUT MBAPPE SUFFERS ANKLE INJURY
Neymar scored the winning goal as Paris Saint-Germain defeated 10-man Saint-Etienne 1-0 in the French Cup final on Friday (July 24), the first competitive fixture in the country since March 11 following the coronavirus pandemic.
However, coach Thomas Tuchel faces an anxious wait over the fitness of Kylian Mbappe ahead of next month’s Champions League quarter-final after the France star limped off during the first half with an ankle injury.
The World Cup winner was later seen in the tunnel on crutches.
PSG secured the first of a potential three trophies this summer, added a record-extending 13th French Cup to their list of honours with the League Cup final against Lyon to come next Friday before the resumption of their European campaign in Portugal.
The final at the Stade de France was the first official match in one of Europe’s top football nations to allow fans to attend since March, albeit in severely restricted numbers with just 2,805 spectators – including President Emmanuel Macron – inside the 80,000-seater venue.
A minute’s applause was held ahead of kick-off for the victims of Covid-19, which has claimed the lives of over 30,000 people in France, and in support of frontline workers.
PSG had racked up 20 goals without reply in three friendlies building up to the final, but Yvann Macon’s crunching tackle on Neymar in the first minute suggested no such goodwill would be afforded by Saint-Etienne in their first French Cup final appearance since 1982.
The challenge set the tone for a fractious opening period and Denis Bouanga was inches from firing Saint-Etienne ahead when his strike rebounded back off KeylorNavas’s left-hand post.
– Neymar slams home – Unfazed by that scare, PSG led on 14 minutes as Mbappe burst into the area after an exchange with Angel Di Maria and Neymar crashed home the rebound via the underside of the crossbar after a fine save from Jessy Moulin.
Bouanga twice forced Navas to turn away while Moulin produced a sensational one-handed stop to tip over from Di Maria, earning plaudits from the Argentine himself.
Saint-Etienne’s hopes of fighting back were deeply hampered midway through the first half though when captain Loic Perrin, on likely his final appearance for the club, was sent off for a dreadful challenge on Mbappe.
The World Cup winner required lengthy treatment but was forced off after his right ankle was trapped between the legs of Perrin, whose yellow card was upgraded to red following a VAR review.
Emotions boiled over with five players booked in the aftermath following an ugly melee, but the greater concern for PSG will be the severity of Mbappe’s injury.
The France star reemerged from the tunnel on crutches in the second half, with less than three weeks before PSG’s Champions League tie against Atalanta on Aug 12.
Moulin kept Saint-Etienne in with a remote shot of ending their 43-year wait for a seventh French Cup title, repelling Mauro Icardi and Di Maria before spreading himself superbly to deny Pablo Sarabia.
The goalkeeper even raced forward for a late corner but PSG held firm to atone for last year’s defeat in the final by Rennes on penalties, clinching the trophy for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
-AFP
Paul Pogba has joined AS Monaco on a free transfer after signing a two-year contract, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday, as the 32-year-old French midfielder looks to revive his career following a doping ban.
Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban in February 2024 after testing positive for DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Italian club Juventus announced in November that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in June 2026.
The 2018 World Cup winner had a disappointing second spell with Juventus due to injuries after returning to the Turin-based club following his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022.
Pogba was signed by United in 2016 for a then-world record fee of 89 million pounds ($122 million) but the four-times Serie A champion won only two trophies with the Premier League club — the League Cup and Europa League in his first season.
He last played for France in 2022 but knee surgery prevented him from appearing at the World Cup in Qatar.
Monaco finished third behind Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain and Olympique de Marseille last season.
-Reuters
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After Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi signed a contract extension with French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain, he became the World’s most-paid fullback.
The Moroccan international will earn a staggering €70 million in wages over his new five-year deal, cementing his status as football’s highest-paid defender.
He signed a contract extension with the French champions until 2029. The new deal adds three years to his previous contract, which was set to expire in 2026.
His net salary is increasing from €10 million to €14 million per season (€28 million gross).
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The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee and Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, is almost certain to leave the Serie A in the coming winter transfer window following interest from Premiership but the biggest interest is from Paris Saint Germaine.
The AFCON 2024 silver medal winner with Nigeria has been on the radar of the London side, West Ham United and three other sides from the league but all is more certain that the London club will find it difficult to compete for the signature of Atalanta star according to Football Insider.
Reports have suggested that the Irons are ready to swoop for the Nigeria international in the January transfer window.
However, sources say there will be “huge interest” from Europe in the 27-year-old ex-Everton star.
Paris Saint-Germain will be the frontrunner for the forward if he becomes available in the coming months.
Additionally, Lookman plays in the same area of the pitch as West Ham’s big-money summer signings Crysencio Summerville and Luis Guilherme.
The London-born has raised his stock with his displays for Atalanta since joining from RB Leipzig in 2022.
He finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings this year after leading the Italian side to a Europa League title last term.
Lookman has already hit five goals and contributed five assists in 10 games across all competitions this term.
The forward, who is under contract until June 2026, hit 17 goals and notched 10 assists in 45 appearances last season.
West Ham are unlikely to have serious funds to spend in the January window after their lavish spending in the off-season.
Julen Lopetegui’s side started slowly and sat 13th in the Premier League after nine games.
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