The third day of the Premier League Next Gen Cup 2024 showcased the unpredictable nature of football, with one Indian club making history while two others suffered heavy losses. Punjab FC, the first Indian team to defeat a Premier League youth side – Everton U-18 – on foreign soil, continued their impressive run by beating Aston Villa 2-0 in their home ground. This victory secured them a third-place finish in the tournament.
Manglenthang Kipgen opened the scoring for Punjab FC from the penalty spot in the 14th minute after Omang Dodum was fouled by TJ Carroll inside the box. Kipgen’s goal made him the highest Indian goalscorer in the tournament, with a goal in three out of their four matches. Dodum then took center stage in the 36th minute, winning the race for a loose ball against Caroll and finding the bottom right corner past Sam Proctor to secure the second goal for Punjab FC. The Punjab bench erupted with cheers and applause as the team secured a convincing victory.
“This is a great feeling. I had said this before, we had played this Aston Villa previously and that match, which we lost 2-3, was ours to win,” said Punjab FC head coach Sankarlal Chakraborty after the match. “Now, we can see that with more matches (here), the performance of our players is improving. This is a signal that if there are more exposure trips, it will be better for the clubs and the country.”
In stark contrast, East Bengal and Muthoot Football Academy suffered heavy defeats against Premier League opposition. Everton thrashed Muthoot 6-1, with George Morgan and Joel Catesby scoring a brace each, while Aled Thomas and Callum Bates found the net once each. The young Toffies finished fifth in the tournament. Muthoot had attempted to get back into the game after conceding the second goal when Enas KP received Akshay Subedi’s long ball and dinked it over George Pickford’s head. However, Leighton Baines’ boys quickly shifted gears and snatched the game away from Muthoot by a significant margin.
East Bengal also faced a difficult match against Crystal Palace, which ended 7-1 in favor of the Premier League side. Palace struck within four minutes from a corner, with Freddie Cowin delivering the cross which Sean Somade headed in without much trouble. Sunil Bathala’s failed clearance then led to an own goal, making the score 2-0 within the first 20 minutes of the game. Matteo Dashi and Caleb Redhead each scored a brace, sealing another heavy defeat for East Bengal, who had already lost 0-6 to Everton in their previous match. Bino George’s boys ended the tournament at the bottom of the table with three losses in as many games, conceding 14 goals and scoring only one in their final game.
The results of the Premier League Next Gen Cup highlight the significant gap between the Indian clubs and their Premier League counterparts. While Punjab FC’s performance shows promise for the future of Indian football, the heavy defeats suffered by East Bengal and Muthoot emphasize the need for further development and investment in grassroots football in India.
