The Next Generation Cup 2024 campaign began with Indian clubs Punjab FC and Muthoot FA giving a tough run to their opponents Aston Villa FC and Everton FC respectively. The Toffees had to wait till the second-half to find a way past a disciplined Muthoot FA team for their 1-0 victory. On the other hand, Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) 2023-24 champions Punjab FC put up an impressive fight before going down 3-2 in front of Aston Villa FC on the opening day of the tournament.
The two games were arguably of stark contrast, with there being a fair bit of flair in the Punjab FC encounter, thanks to the two teams constantly going back and forth against each other. Muthoot FA’s style of play drew praise from Everton FC coach and ex-England player Leighton Baines as well.
Muthoot FA produced a fitting contest against Everton with the Toffees scoring the only goal of the match in the 34th minute.
The third-place winners of the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) 2023-24 were neatly organised at the back and didn’t offer their Premier League opponents many clear cut goal-scoring opportunities in the opening half of the contest.
Eventually, it took a concerted team effort on their behalf to break through the Muthoot FA backline. Jacob Beaumont-Clark pierced through the defence of the Indian side with a dazzling run through the centre. He released the ball to an onrushing Callum Bales on the right flank.
Bales received the ball with a deft first touch, before setting up Kean Wren with a squared up pass that the latter comfortably tapped in to break the deadlock after a gripping passage of play.
“It was a tough game. It was a different challenge for our lads to play against well-organised opponents. I am hoping that they learn something from it and it definitely came across as a big challenge for us. Muthoot FA came in with a clear idea of how they might get success out of this game. They’ve got a good idea of when they have the ball, what they would want to do in those moments. We don’t always get to practice in such situations, which is good for our lads and for the overall development of players,” Everton FC coach Leighton Baines said after the game.
Aston Villa FC triumphed over Punjab FC by 3-2 in a closely contested game, with the English outfit taking the lead though their forward Rory Wilson in the 12th minute of the match.
In a template that was visible throughout the encounter, both sides ensured that they didn’t allow their opponents ample space to work with the ball outside of the 18-yard box. It resulted in an overcrowding of the penalty area, but players from the two ends delivered a high-scoring clash.
Wilson complemented his opening goal with another strike in the 33rd minute, with almost identical goals coming as a result of his ability to put the ball into the back of the net from close spaces.
But before that, Omang Dodum from Punjab FC equalised the scores in the 22nd minute, collecting a ball on the run in the left flank and depositing it past Aston Villa FC goalkeeper Sam Lewis. Travis Patterson and Mason Cotcher joined hands at the 40th minute mark to add another goal to Aston Villa FC’s tally.
Patterson’s cross from the left flank was perfectly met and converted by Cotcher to get the scores to 3-1 up. However, Punjab FC struck quickly on the counter, with No. 10 Manglenthang Kipgen striking from a few yards away from the left flank a minute later to cut the deficit. Eventually, Aston Villa FC held their nerves until the end to secure the win.
“We need to focus more on tactical decisions. We were intact for large portions but lost concentration for a bit and conceded the easiest of goals. We were having a good run of chances, but couldn’t capitalise on that and an unwanted error resulted in us going 1-0 down. The players are high on confidence but we need to address a bit in the execution part of things. We are lacking a bit of instinct and this is the best possible platform for us to work on things and learn a lot going forward,” Punjab FC coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said.
