Punjab FC scripted history as it rode on Usham Singh’s winner to beat Everton’s under-18 side 2-1 in the Next Generation Cup 2024, at the Bodymoor Heath Training Ground here on Saturday.
The team wrapped up full points in the game with a 4-2 win in the penalty shootout, becoming the first Indian side to register a win against an under-18 side from England in this tournament.
“As a coach, and from the perspective of the full team, we are all feeling very proud because a European team was defeated by an Indian team,” Punjab FC’s coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said after the match.
The Reliance Development League champion took time to absorb the pressure from the English side, conceding early in the 11th minute off Joel Catesby, after which it started its forays into the final third.
After half-time, the breakthrough arrived for the team from India with Manglethang Kipgen chipping the ball with his right foot, beating George Pickford at the far post.
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Sankarlal remained unmoved in the technical area whereas Leighton Baines, who was seen sitting on the bench so far, was now up and ruminating the possibilities of a reply – one that did not arrive.
And, eight minutes from time, Usham Thoungamba Singh found the net with a shot from the outside the box. Muhammad Suhail F. won the ball in front of the box and set Usham up, who shot between two Everton players to give Punjab the lead.
“We conceded a goal but nobody got demoralised, and that is the true strength of our players. Our full team used team spirit and dominated our rivals technically and tactically to achieve success,” Sankarlal added.
Punjab will play Villa for a third-place spot at the Loughborough University Ground later today while Everton will end the tournament, looking to turn the tide against Muthoot with the fifth spot up for grabs.
East Bengal, Muthoot frustrated by English sides
East Bengal’s campaign at the Next Gen Cup continued to be a fruitless one as it slumped to a 0-4 loss to Aston Villa in its final group-stage match.
East Bengal had lost 0-6 to Everton in its previous game, with four of those goals coming off set-pieces.
Against Villa, the side from India looked to have not learnt from its mistakes as half of the goals in this match also came from set-pieces.
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Lack of discipline saw it concede a penalty later in the second half and Bino George’s side finished at the bottom of its group among the four non-English teams.
Earlier in the day, Tottenham Hotspur (under-18) and Stellenbosch FC (under-21) secured their spots in the final, with wins against Muthoot Football Academy (4-0) and Crystal Palace (1-0), respectively.
Shaakir Ahmed guided Liam Slade’s lobbed cross in the 38th minute for the side from South Africa while Herbie James, Leon Myrtaj, Reiss-Elliott Paris and Luca Williams-Barnett found the net for Spurs in their respective games.
The two teams – Tottenham and Stellenbosch – will fight for the title in Loughborough at 8 pm IST.
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