Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a brace and set up another as Paris Saint-Germain defeated bitter rivals Olympique de Marseille 4-2 to clinch a 10th Coupe de France title on Saturday in the Swede’s final game with the club.
Blaise Matuidi struck PSG’s opening goal inside two minutes at the Stade de France in Paris, but Marseille hit back just 10 minutes later through on-loan Newcastle United midfielder Florian Thauvin.
Ibrahimovic then converted a penalty immediately after halftime to restore the capital club’s lead, before he played in Edinson Cavani to add a third on 56 minutes.
Photo: AP
The 34-year-old Swedish star signed off in trademark spectacular style with his second of the evening, the 156th and final goal of his PSG career, eight minutes from time as Laurent Blanc’s side repeated last year’s domestic treble, despite a late consolation from Michy Batshuayi.
“I’m very happy to win my final match with a fantastic team,” Ibrahimovic said.
“We’ve worked hard over the four years. It was an incredible adventure for me, especially when you know how things were when I arrived and how they are now. It’s mission accomplished. I didn’t learn to speak French, but I’ve won everything. I came, I saw, I conquered,” he said.
Photo: AFP
Marseille interim coach Franck Passi lamented his side’s slow start to both halves, ruing a lack of concentration.
“You must not give away goals like the ones we conceded because it’s difficult for us to score them,” Passi said. “It needed to stay at 1-1 for longer, we had the chances, but we only scored two goals. We couldn’t to afford to concede a goal so quickly, we needed to be more focused.”
With the Ligue 1 crown and the Coupe de la Ligue already in the bag, PSG moved level with record 10-time Coupe de France winners Marseille in a repeat of the 2005-2006 final, won 2-1 by PSG.
Ibrahimovic, who the previous weekend broke Argentine striker Carlos Bianchi’s single-season club record of 37 league goals, brought the curtain the down on a glittering four-year stay in the French capital in fitting fashion having already previously helped PSG win 11 trophies.
Blanc withdrew Ibrahimovic, who leaves Paris when his contract expires at the end of next month, to a rapturous ovation late on in the final act of a remarkable chapter in the club’s history.
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