In a sunny London afternoon, with the rays scratching the grass, it all started badly for the City offensive designed by Guardiola in the Fa Cup final. It started badly and ended worse yet. Obfuscated, inaccurate, stunned, without any aim, He was surpassed by Crystal Palacewho after 119 years of history won his first title and sealed, at the same time, the Citizen Blank season.
The Guardiola team had almost a complete match (84 minutes including the 10 of the added time) to balance Ezebut he did not find the way reflecting in a final all the mismatches he has suffered in a tortuous and disconcerting course in which he ends empty -handed, with a cross -like friendly words between Guardiola and Henderson, the goal of Crystal Palace.
Eze, the Crystal Palace player, beats Ortega, the City goalkeeper, in the Fa Cup final of Wembley. / AFP / Adrian Dennis
Neither as a penalty knew how to mark the city, tangled, one afternoon in a thousand and one problems. A thousand and a football problems to which he found no solution, always crashing in the serious and sacrificed zaga of the Crystal Palace. And where the feet of the defenses did not reach the Salvadorans hands of Henderson, who still stopped the maximum penalty to Marmoush who was shaking a right of Doku – both actions in the first half – or deprived of glory to the young Argentine Echeverri in the final moments of the second part coinciding with his debut.
Pep Guardiola, the City coach, on Wembley's bench during the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. / Ap
He had, and had, the City of the ball, monopolizing it to almost dictatorial limits, with a possession of 81% in the first half. But he looked at the scoreboard and lost even to reach the 20th minute. A ball taken from behind by the defense of Crystal Palace undressed the entire 'citizen' structure.
It was the area of area to area, without any Guardiola player knowing how to decode what the action claimed. Nor was the City stopped in the opposite field. Either in one's own. Caught counterpie O'Reilly, the left -handed side, who did not stop the assistance of the Colombian Daniel Muñoz and arrive late the right -handed side Akanji, surpassed in the final auction by Eberrechi Eze. And the ball traveled ahead of the Guardiola team plants, turned into mere spectators.
Penalti Fallated by Marmat
The final was won wonderfully for Crystal Palace, whose defensive exercise was full of traps for the rival. Traps and, at the same time, order. He did not have the key to unravel that chest, so as the minutes passed the impatience increased. And the anguish seized each city player.
Henderson, the goal of Crystal Palace, for the penalty launched by Marmoush, the City striker, in the FA Cup final in Wembley. / Afp / Glynn Kirk
Not even a penalty managed to tie in the first half Because Marmous's shot – why didn't Haaland launch him? – He was repelled by Henderson's right hand, transformed into the guardian who needed his team. Not only in that maximum penalty that further depressed the City but then when Doku, the most active and, at the same time, creative, let out a beautiful right that was repelled by the hand, this time was the left, of Henderson.
Danger of a band loot
Identical parameters were lived in the second half. With strange, but identical nervousness in the defense of the City, who weighed the final above the alleged experience accredited by each of its members.
Haaland laments a mistake against Henderson, the goalkeeper of Crystal Palace, during the FA Cup final. / Eph / Toge
And from a band of the band he was born in what was going to be the 2-0 in another huge collective misconception of the Guardiola team, saved, in the end, by the VAR since he certified out of the previous game of Senegalés Sarr. He attacked but without harming the Citizen team, while the danger, even if outside an apparent band serve, the Crystal Palace generated.
Haaland, missing
The final was drained, in the meantime to the City because so much dominance, which was sterile, did not even put the solid Henderson in trouble. In Haaland, which should be the end of the Guardiola set, all frustrations were summarized, although it could not be more escorted.
He had the Norwegian to his right to Savinho, behind Marmush, and on the left to Doku. After 70 minutes of the final there was no trace of the 'Nine', drowned in the increasingly dense bidding of the Crystal Palace, which came to gather, and on several occasions, up to 11 players in their area.
Thus he defeated the City, who leaves this season with a trace of helplessness, without winning a single title, now forced not to fail in his only, last and desperate goal of getting among the top five to be in the next edition of the Champions League. Now it is sixth in the Premier, with 65 points, outside its goalbut it has a game less than the fifth (Aston Villa, 66) and the fourth (Chelsea, also with 66).
La ficha del Crystal Palace-Manchester City (1-0)
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Guéhi (Lerma, m. 61), D. Mountain, Wharton (Hughes, m. 87), Camada, Mitchell, Sarr, Eze and Matte.
Manchester City: Ortega, Akanji, R. Dias, Gvardiol, O' Reilly, Bruyne, Bernard Silva (Gündan, m. 88), Savinho (Poden, m. 76, Marmoush (Echeverri, m. 76), Doku and Haaland.
Gol: 1-0, Eze (m. 16)
Yellow cards: O'Reilly (m. 66); Bernardo Silva (m. 75); Ruben days (m. 82; of Bruyne (m. 85); Henderson (m. 90+1); Echeverri (m. 90+4).
