Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) triumphed over Lyon 2-1 in Saturday’s French Cup final, marking Kylian Mbappe’s farewell appearance with another trophy.
The star forward, expected to move to Real Madrid, did not add to his record tally of 256 goals for PSG. Instead, Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz scored the decisive goals.
Dembele and Ruiz found the net in the first half, while PSG fended off a Lyon comeback attempt after Jake O’Brien scored to narrow the gap.
As the most successful team in French Cup history, PSG now boast 15 titles, including seven in the past decade and four since Mbappe joined from Monaco as a teenager in 2017.
This victory secured a domestic league and cup double for PSG in Luis Enrique’s first season as coach, though the campaign was marred by their Champions League semi-final exit to Borussia Dortmund.
The final was overshadowed by pre-game clashes between rival fans at a motorway toll near Lille. Around 100 Lyon supporters and 200 PSG fans clashed, resulting in two coaches catching fire and 20 supporters sustaining minor injuries. French President Emmanuel Macron, who attended the final, condemned the violence.
Mbappe made his 308th and final appearance for PSG, having signed from Monaco in August 2017 for 180 million euros. He leaves the club with four French Cup winners’ medals, six Ligue 1 titles, and two League Cup victories.
Mbappe finished his last season in Paris with 44 goals in all competitions, including eight in the Cup run. He nearly scored early in the final at Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy, but Lyon initially held firm.
Dembele opened the scoring midway through the first half, heading in unmarked at the back post. He then assisted Ruiz’s goal in the 34th minute, doubling PSG’s lead.
Lyon, who rebounded from the bottom of Ligue 1 in December to finish sixth and secure European qualification, attempted a comeback. O’Brien’s header ten minutes after the break gave them hope.
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a crucial save to deny Nicolas Tagliafico, and Alexandre Lacazette’s deflected shot ensured PSG held on for the win, giving Mbappe a victorious send-off.
