Manchester City is victorious at the Emirates FA Cup finals

The Emirates FA Cup, short for Emirates Football Association Champions Cup, is a tournament that is held by the football association based in England. The Cup first began in 1872, and today it is regarded as one of the most well known domestic cups around the world. Most of the teams that participate come from different areas of Great Britain, all wanting to try their hand at a championship. However, there are also rare cases where football teams who come from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales not only participated but also won trophies. The final of the FA Cup 2018-19 was held at the Wembley Stadium located in London, England.

During this year’s FA Cup, two teams were able to beat all the other contestants and meet at the final. The two teams, Manchester City and Watford, both had great performances before reaching the finals. The match itself gave the fans a game worthy of talking about for months. That is, Manchester City fans would be celebrating; Watford fans would be grumbling over the match results although their team certainly played its worth.

During the first 25 minutes of the first half, Watford dominated Manchester City despite missing a couple of great chances that they created through smart plays. However, during the 26th minute, David Silva was able to steal the ball from a Watford defender in the penalty box and score from a volley. Although Watford kept calm and played on, they were not able to stop the second goal at the 38th minute. This goal was a bit awkward because although the ball was shot by Gabriel Jesus and clearly going in, Raheem Sterling put the ball in the back of the net at the last second and took the goal. After this goal, the pace slowed until the whistle signalled the end of the first half. After a little break in between, the two teams were back on the pitch and fought harder than ever. Just when it seemed like they were getting somewhere, Watford let in another goal from Kevin De Bruyne at the 61st minute. This was the moment when Watford’s defense began to crumble. Six minutes later, Gabriel Jesus received a great pass from De Bruyne and scored another goal, making the lead 4:0. Then at the 81st and the 87th minute, Rahem Sterling was able to complete a hat-trick and put his name in the history book. The referee blew the final whistle and the match ended 6:0 to Manchester City, a great defeat for Watford, and another trophy to add to Manchester City’s trophy case.

After the end of the match, there was much celebration inside of Wembley Stadium as Manchester City players took their place as Champions of the Emirates FA Cup. However, even in the midst of the celebration, Pep Gaurdiola, the manager of Manhester City, was still upset that Rahem Sterling was able to make a hat-trick from the goal he took away from Gabriel Jesus. Nonetheless, this slight hiccup was quickly forgotten, and in the end Pep Gaurdiola joined his players up on the stage to celebrate their great achievement.

Featured Image – Man City celebrating as the champions of the FA cup Photo Courtesy of Goal.com

by Andy Kim