Ibra's swan-song ends on high note

Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his last game for PSG with two goals and an assist to help his side complete a domestic treble.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic marked his last game for PSG with two goals and an assist to help his side complete a domestic treble. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

PARIS • Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored two goals and set up another, as Paris Saint-Germain defeated bitter rivals Marseille 4-2 to clinch a 10th French Cup title in the Swede's final game with the club.

Blaise Matuidi struck PSG's opening goal inside two minutes at the Stade de France on Saturday, but Marseille hit back just 10 minutes later through on-loan Newcastle midfielder Florian Thauvin.

Ibrahimovic then converted a penalty immediately after half-time to restore the capital club's lead, before playing in Edinson Cavani to add a third goal on 56 minutes.

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 before a late consolation from Michy Batshuayi.

"I'm very happy to win my final match with a fantastic team," said Ibrahimovic.

"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."

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," he said.

"It needed to stay at 1-1 for longer, we had the chances but we only scored two goals. "We couldn't afford to concede a goal so quickly, we needed to be more focused."

With the Ligue 1 crown and French League Cup already in the bag, PSG completed a second successive domestic treble.

PSG manager Laurent Blanc, however, admitted that the side still fell short of their goals.

"I always said it would be tough to repeat our success from last season, but we did it," he said. "Still, we're not gloating; we know we didn't reach our objective in the Champions League.

"We need to try to do better, with other players, perhaps by putting more emphasis on the collective and the team.

"We won't be embarking on a project to completely overhaul the team. We'll reflect on things and pick our targets."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 23, 2016, with the headline Ibra's swan-song ends on high note. Subscribe