Wembley in London. Final of the England Cup (FA Cup), the oldest competition of football, which began in the last century, in 1871.
On Saturday, on Saturday (17), on the one hand the grand and very traditional Manchester City, founded in 1880, champion of six of the eight most recent Premier League, the Elite Division of the English Championship, in search of his eighth FA Cup.
Commanded by Spaniard Pep Guardiola, 54, former Barcelona, in Bayern Munich, megavitorious and considered one of the best technicians on the planet.
Stuffed with World Cup athletes in the world, such as Bruyne, Rúben Dias, Akanji, Bernardo Silva, Gvardiol and Doku, to name only those who started the decision on the starting lineup.
With its sky blue uniform and a cast valued at over 1.3 billion euros (R $ 8.3 billion). Only the Haaland supertilheiro, 24, his shirt 9, is worth 200 million euros.
On the other hand, the modest Crystal Palace, never champion of a top -notch tournament in its nearly 120 years of history.
Directed by Austrian Oliver Glasner, 50, with stints in the Bundesliga of his country (Ried and Lask), the German Bundesliga, Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, respected for taking the second to the Europa League conquest in 2022.
With only two players with World Cup experience, Japanese midfielder Kamada and Senegalese striker Sarr, very far from being Ludopedium stars.
With its red and blue uniform and a cast valued at 441 million euros (R $ 2.8 billion), which is not little, but it is a third of the opponent’s squad.
In a match widely dominated by Man City, in which goalkeeper Henderson made at least four tough defenses, and defend a penalty, Crystal Palace, with a goal from the 10 EZE shirt, 26, in one of the rare attacks of the Londrina team, won 1-0 and reached its largest – unique – glory.
For the difference from the cast, technical and financial, a shame for the billionaire Clube de Manchester.
National Cups, disputed in the knockout system (eliminatory) have this power, to magnify the little ones. It is not always, but it occurs much more than in national championships (running points), whose titles very rarely come out of the hands of the great – when they win a national cup, do not enjoy the same flavor, since it is not the primary goal.
Keeping his gaze in England, this century FA Cup was Leicester (2021), Wigan (2013) and Portsmouth (2008), all dwarf in comparison with associations such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United.
But it’s not just there that happens. Three days before the FA Cup final, the Italian Cup was decided. The portentous Milan, the second largest champion of the European Champions League, against the modest Bologna.
At the Olympic Stadium of Rome, 1-0 for Bologna, goal from Swiss striker Nndoye. For over 50 years, since 1974, when champion of the same World Cup, the club did not earn a relevant title.
This season, zebra can guide the French Cup decision, with the Stade of Reims (fighting the French Championship relegation) facing champion Paris Saint-Germain, and in the German Cup final, with Arminia Bielefeld (third-division champion, never winning an important cup and founded in 1905, such as Crystal Palace) Eintracht Frankfurt, third in the first division.
In Brazil, the World Cup was the opportunity for some small guys, since in the Brazilian Championship, since the competition has been in running points (2003), always a big (and always from SP, RJ or MG) triumphed.
They won the Brazil Cup, which had its first edition in 1991, Criciúma, Youth, Santo André and Paulista de Jundiaí. In this year’s edition, which heads for the round of 16, a dozen surprises are still in the match, including retro (Pernambuco), Brusque (Santa Catarina), Maracanã (Ceará) and Aparecidense (Goiás).
