The Indian clubs continued to face a tough start at the Next Generation Cup 2024. East Bengal’s under-21 team suffered a 0-1 defeat against Crystal Palace’s under-18 side on Thursday, marking their third consecutive opening day loss in the tournament.
East Bengal, who had previously impressed with a 3-0 win against Luton Town Academy in a friendly match, were put on the back foot from the outset. Crystal Palace’s young Eagles dominated the attack, consistently pushing forward along the flanks. Vanlalpeka Guite, a promising player for East Bengal, managed to make three forays into the final third, but his side was unable to find the back of the net.
Despite East Bengal’s coach, Bino George, urging his players to maintain their defensive shape, Crystal Palace created several opportunities. They failed to capitalize on at least six shots from inside the box, however, a breakthrough arrived just before halftime. Dean Benamar, with a cross from the left, found Finley Marjoram on the far post. Marjoram, who had been a key player in Palace’s attack, slotted the ball into the net, securing what would prove to be the winning goal.
After the match, Crystal Palace’s head coach, Robb Quinn, commented on the game: “It was a different opposition and posed different challenges.” He praised East Bengal’s defense, saying, “Credit to East Bengal (while defending) – well coached and disciplined without the ball. They made it tough to play through, so we had to play around a lot.”
The final whistle marked the end of the regulation time, but the match continued with a penalty shootout. East Bengal converted two penalties through Muhammed K. Ashique and Tanmay Das, while Palace found the net on all four occasions, earning an extra point.
Despite the loss, East Bengal’s coach, Bino George, remained optimistic. “All the (foreign) teams here are of far better quality than us. (This) is not (too) bad a result, a 0-1 loss,” he said. “But the things we were happy about, we will try to make them better in the next match.”
Crystal Palace will face Muthoot Football Academy in their next match later today, while East Bengal will go up against Everton’s under-18 side at one of the academy grounds in Bodymoor Heath.
