Ilkay Gundogan celebrated Manchester City’s FA Cup final victory without a winner’s medal, despite his heroic double against Manchester United.
WHAT HAPPENED? Gundogan scored both of City’s goals as they beat United 2-1. He set a new record for the quickest goal in an FA Cup final, blasting past David de Gea in just 12 seconds, and then restored their lead with another effort from outside the box after Bruno Fernandes had pulled United level with a penalty. Despite his match-winning display, Gundogan was not given a medal when they were handed out to the champions.
WHY DID GUNDOGAN NOT GET A MEDAL? The 32-year-old missed out because the Football Association ran out of medals, The Sun reports. They had given all of the medals out to the rest of the squad, leaving Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne without.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: While goalkeeper Ederson eventually handed his medal to De Bruyne, Gundogan was left to celebrate with his team-mates without one around his neck. The Germany international will be given one at a later date, however. Gundogan’s double at Wembley puts City on the brink of a historic treble, with their final game of the season set to be played in Istanbul on June 10. City will face Italian giants Inter in the Champions League final as they seek to win their first-ever European crown and emulate United’s legendary 1998-99 side.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR GUNDOGAN? City’s FA Cup hero can leave the club for free this summer, but Pep Guardiola says he hopes they can convince him to sign a new contract. Gundogan said after the game that his future has not yet been decided.
