Man City's "Four Crowns" saga is a triumph for the club! In the early morning of Thursday (17th) in the UEFA Premier League Cup, UEFA Europa League champions Manchester City, thanks to the outstanding play of rising star Galpenma, drew 1-1 in the second half against UEFA Europa League champions Xavier, and won 5-4 on penalties to win the UEFA Premier League Cup for the first time, which is also the fourth honor this year, following the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Europa League.
With captain Chiyun Dibny injured, City unexpectedly started the game with 21-year-old Galpenma, an England U21 international who was widely rumored to be on his way out of the team but who was expected to be the odd man out in this crucial battle. He was just as good, with a beautiful shot being parried in the opening stages and threatening frequently, but City were unable to break the deadlock and were instead denied by a header from Annesley in the 25th minute. Trailing 0-1 at half-time.
In the second leg of the match, City strengthened their offense, and Westville's counterattacks were quite threatening, until in the 63rd minute, Golpenma scored from a small angle on the right side of the road, following the Community Shield match, and the two teams went into the extra time with a 1-1 draw. In the penalty shootout, City hit all five shots on goal, while Westville's penalty kick hit the post in the final period, and City finally won 5-4.
Galpenma is rumored to possibly join Westham or Brighton, City manager Gordiona also said this after the game, "I don't know if Galpenma will stay or not, before I thought he wanted to move, now the situation is unknown, I believe that he will not be out on loan, Galpenma will either stay in the team or officially move. He showed his character in this game, it's not easy for young players to perform on such a stage, he played well and scored a great goal."
The victory was the first time in City's history that they won the UEFA Super Cup, and Gordiona became the first manager to lead three teams to win the UEFA Super Cup. He helped Barcelona win twice in 2009 and 2011, and led Bayern Munich to the title in 2013. This time, he will lead City to savor the joy of victory again and continue to write a new chapter in their history.
