Ilkay Gundogan Day: Man City clinch FA Cup in style eye UCL
Premier League Champions Manchester City Saturday at the Wembley Stadium added the FA Cup to the season laurels while having an eye on the Uefa Champions League to complete a treble.
Ilkay Gundogan did not only score the fastest FA Cup goal ever against Manchester United on the occassion but also added another volley to help the Citizens run away with 2-1 victory. Some analysts had predicted that the encounter will be a ding-dong affair that could snowball into penalty shoot out. But it turned out to be a day luck met with determination of the Citizens to make the victory a smooth flight garnished with impressive landing.
Having already won the Premier League title, City now go into next Saturday’s Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul with the opportunity to emulate United’s feat of 1999.
And City captain Gundogan was the big game match-winner again, assuring his place in history with the quickest goal in FA Cup final history, a stunning volley after only 12 seconds eclipsing Louis Saha’s strike for Everton after 25 seconds against Chelsea in 2009.
Manchester United equalised after 33 minutes when the video assistant referee ruled that Jack Grealish had handled, Bruno Fernandes coolly sending Stefan Ortega the wrong way from the spot.
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It was Gundogan, as he does so often, who made the decisive contribution when he volleyed Kevin de Bruyne’s free-kick past United keeper David de Gea six minutes after the break to give City the FA Cup for the seventh time.
With the league and FA Cup secured, next comes the chance to claim that elusive Champions League against Inter Milan.
Should they succeed, they would become only the second English club to complete the Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
United, who did it 24 years ago, did their best to halt City’s bid, but the league champions had too much power and in Gundogan, they had a player who revels in the pressure of the big occasion.