Man City beat Nottingham to reach third successive FA Cup final

Man City beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Wembley on Sunday to reach their third straight FA Cup final, with goals from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol keeping alive City’s hopes of avoiding a rare season without a trophy.

Lewis scored inside two minutes when he was fed by the influential Mateo Kovacic and given time and space to fire into the bottom corner and silence the Forest fans.

Conceding an early goal was certainly not in the gameplan for Forest, who struggled to gain a foothold in the first half, registering just 25% possession and no shots on goal.

“We started really badly, Man City started really well,” Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo told reporters, adding that conceding so early “makes everything hard”.

The halftime introduction of Anthony Elanga almost turned the tie for Forest, but he scuffed Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross wide with his first touch in the 46th minute.

Man City punished the miss five minutes later when Gvardiol rose highest to nod home an Omar Marmoush corner for his sixth goal of the campaign.

Forest, seeking to reach their first FA Cup final since 1991, went close to pulling one back with Morgan Gibbs-White cannoning a volley off the bar with City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega beaten.

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“I’ve never hit a ball as sweetly on my weak foot in my life,” Gibbs-White told ITV. “As soon as that hit the crossbar I knew it wasn’t going to be our day.”

Gibbs-White hit the post again with 20 minutes to play after Gvardiol was caught in possession, rounding Ortega but unable to finish from a tight angle.

“I’m devastated,” Gibbs-White said. “I feel sorry for the fans. I hold my hands up and apologise, I should’ve scored at least one of them.”

Substitute Taiwo Awoniyi also hit the woodwork before Gibbs-White’s follow-up header was saved by Ortega, as Forest fans began to feel it was just not their day.

Man City then comfortably closed the game out and victory in their record-extending seventh consecutive FA Cup semi-final means they will face Crystal Palace, who beat Aston Villa 3-0 on Saturday, in the final on May 17.

It has been a poor season by City’s extraordinary standards, currently well behind Premier League champions Liverpool and scrapping for a Champions League spot rather than fighting for an unprecedented fifth straight league title.

City have only once finished a season without a trophy under Pep Guardiola — which was in the Spaniard’s first season in charge in 2016/17.

Player-of-the-match Kovacic saw the positives in Man City’s late-season run, telling ITV: “This season has not been how we wanted but we are in another FA Cup final and in the top four.”

But Guardiola, asked if another FA Cup triumph and securing Champions League football next term would make for a good season, was emphatic.

“No,” he told reporters with a rueful smile. “This season has not been good. We are a thousand, million points behind Liverpool.”

Forest’s Nuno, meanwhile, stressed that their exceptional season – which may still end with an unlikely top-five finish – gives their fans plenty to shout about.

“Today is a sad day,” he said. “It’s going to be hard, but tomorrow when you wake up and the sadness is gone … you are going to know that we have big things ahead of us to fight for.”

Man City beat Nottingham to reach third successive FA Cup final

Napoli set €100m price tag on Osimhen amid Juventus interest

The transfer saga surrounding Victor Osimhen continues to heat up ahead of the summer window, with Napoli placing a hefty €100 million valuation on the striker should Juventus push to sign him.

While Osimhen’s widely reported release clause stands at €75 million, this figure is applicable only to clubs outside Italy. Domestic rivals like Juventus would have to dig deeper and engage in direct negotiations with Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, who is well-known for driving hard bargains in the transfer market.

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DAZN journalist Orazio Accomando has shed light on Napoli’s stance regarding a potential move to Turin.

“There’s interest from the Premier League (Chelsea and Manchester United in the lead), but also from Barcelona for Osimhen,” he posted on X.
“The clause for going abroad is 75 Million Euros.

“Juventus could join in, but it will depend on qualification for the Champions League and the outgoing market. The request for Italian clubs is 100 Million Euros.”

Napoli set €100m price tag on Osimhen amid Juventus interest

Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 in extra time to win Copa del Rey

A Jules Kounde goal in the dying minutes of extra time handed Barcelona a dramatic 3-2 win over fierce rivals Real Madrid in an enthralling Copa del Rey final in a raucous atmosphere at Seville’s La Cartuja stadium on Saturday.

Barcelona won a record extending 32nd Spanish Cup title thanks to a stunning strike from the French defender, who slotted a low drive into the bottom corner from 25 yards in the 116th minute.

The match ended on a sour note for Real Madrid as Antonio Ruediger and Lucas Vazquez, both on the bench after being substituted earlier, received red cards for dissent from the sidelines, with Jude Bellingham also being flashed a red after the final whistle for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Pedri put Barca ahead in the 28th minute with a brilliant curling strike into the top corner from outside the box in a first-half they dominated.

However, Real took control in the second half as Kylian Mbappe, who was absent from the starting XI as he has yet to regain full fitness from an ankle injury, came off the bench to score the equaliser from a free kick in the 70th minute.

Aurelien Tchouameni gave Real Madrid the lead seven minutes later with a towering header from a corner before Ferran Torres found the equaliser in a counter attack in the 84th minute that took the game to extra time.

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Just when it seemed like the title would have to be settled in a penalty shootout, Kounde finally scored the winner that earned Barca a title that gave German manager Hansi Flick his first major title with Barca, crowning a brilliant season in which they are also bidding for the LaLiga and Champions League titles while Real are now left only with LaLiga as they bid to avoid a trophy-less campaign.

“It was a good time to give the fans something to cheer about. Let’s enjoy it, but don’t overdo it because the Champions League semi-finals are coming up in a few days,” player of the match Ferran Torres told TVE.

“Happy and tired. Without a doubt, it was the most physically demanding game I’ve played in my life. But we’re a great team who never gives up.

“It tastes better that way, especially when it’s Real Madrid in front of us.”

It was a nail-biting, ill-tempered encounter fueled by Friday’s turmoil ignited after Real Madrid decided to boycott pre-match activities in protest against the Spanish FA’s refereeing.

Final official Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, who had given an emotional pre-match press conference on Friday, was faced with a series of challenging decisions, including an added-time penalty for Barcelona that was eventually overturned following a lengthy VAR review.

Torres had a header hit the post just before half-time, marking a one-sided first half in which Real Madrid, lacking in form, were fortunate to only be trailing by a single goal.

In an attempt to swing the momentum, Ancelotti brought on Mbappe from the bench to replace the ineffectual Rodrygo. The French forward changed the dynamic of the game, creating numerous problems for Barcelona with his high-paced combinations with Vinicius Jr.

Despite two clear chances from Vinicius Jr. being denied by stunning saves from Wojciech Szczesny, Mbappe managed to find the back of the net in the 69th minute with a low strike from a free kick.

Just as Barcelona appeared to be on the backfoot and Real Madrid were gaining control, Torres equalised in the 83rd minute. This set the stage for a dramatic conclusion, with Barcelona securing the winner to the euphoria of their fans.

Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 in extra time to win Copa del Rey