It was a forgettable day for the Reliance Foundation Development League teams on Day 2 of the Next Generation Cup with all three teams going down to their respective opponents. East Bengal FC were ransacked 0-6 by Everton, the team which had managed to win their first match against Muthoot FA 1-0 only the day before; while Punjab FC ran into a determined Tottenham Hotspurs losing the tie 0-3. Both teams also went on to lose the mandatory penalty shootout for the bonus point.
On the other hand, Muthoot FA, who were out played by a Crystal Palace 0-3 in the morning fixture, managed to salvaged a point winning the Penalty shootout afterwards.
Muthoot FA Lose; But Claim a Bonus
Crystal Palace opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Enrique Lameiras, who capitalized on a rebound after Muthoot FA goalkeeper Anas failed to secure the ball. The early lead was doubled just two minutes later when David Montien tapped in a cross from the left flank, catching the Muthoot FA defense off guard.
Despite the animated efforts of Muthoot FA coach Anees Koraliyadan, his team struggled to match the pace and physicality of Crystal Palace. The Muthoot FA forwards were largely ineffective against a well-organized Crystal Palace defense, and their midfield failed to retain possession or create significant opportunities.
Crystal Palace continued their dominance in the second half, with Lameiras scoring his second goal in the 47th minute, sealing the 3-0 win. Muthoot FA’s sporadic moments of brilliance, including an attempted scorpion kick from striker Mohammad Enas, were not enough to challenge Crystal Palace’s control of the match. The team also suffered two player injuries during the match with first choice goalkeeper Anas suffering a leg injury, while midfielder Abin Raj went down with a possible shoulder dislocation.
Reflecting on the game, Muthoot FA coach Anees Koraliyadan emphasised the need for better individual performances and reduced errors. He acknowledged the team’s collective defending efforts but stressed the importance of tactical discipline and learning from mistakes as the tournament progresses.
Brief Scores: Crystal Palace FC 3 (Enrique Lameiras 14’ 47’, David Montien 16’) – 0 Muthoot FA
Penalties: Muthoot FA 5-4 Crystal Palace FC
East Bengal Lose the Plot in Second Half
EBFC, which had a decent showing on Day 1 against Crystal Palace started off against Everton in a lively manner with some good end-to-end play. Everton fielded a completely different set of players for this fixture from their previous game.
For EBFC, goalkeeper Kamal stayed strong against the onslaught of the towering Everton strikers as the team held them off without scoring in the first 25 minutes. Sunil Bathala created chances upfront while Vanlalpeka Guite continued to show why is he highly rated among the current lot of India youth players.
But, immediately after the break, a tackle from Suman Dey on George Finney outside the box on the left flank gave Everton a set piece opportunity. Harvey Foster’s terrific delivery was executed neatly by Ademide Akariki and a minute later another Foster delivery into the box had Everton going 2-0 up with an unmarked Kean Wren finding the back of the net.
Everton went on to score two more goals in a span of eight minutes. Joel Catesby and Braiden Graham found the back of the net in the 32nd and 33rd minute. George Finney and Ray Roberts added two more strikes in the 43rd and 45th minute, Everton then proceeded to win 4-1 in the penalty shootout and earned four points out of the contest.
Brief Scores: Everton FC 6 (Ademide Akariki 25′, Kean Wren 26′, Joel Catesby 32′, Braiden Graham 33′, George Finney 43′, Ray Roberts 45′) – 0 East Bengal FC
Penalties: Everton 4-1 East Bengal FC
Punjab FC Lose Steam Against Tottenham Hotspur
Punjab FC, the only team to score in regulation time in the competition among the RFDL teams so far, conceded an early goal in the 11th minute, put composure themselves and put pressure on Tottenham Hotspur, who had lost to Stellenbosch FC in their opening fixture, throughout the first.
Mohammad Suhail had brilliant opportunity to level things up with a long range effort, but it hit the crossbar. Punjab FC though failed to make any substantial gains from favourable positions as Tottenham defence stonewalled Punjab FC’s forward push. However, Ellis Lehane scored two goals in the 38th and 48th minute of the game to increase to shut the game out. Tottenham went on to win the shootout 6-5 to grab the bonus point to go with their three from the win at regulation time.
Brief Scores: Tottenham Hotspur FC 3 (Ronny Moncur 11’, Ellis Lehane 38’, 48’) – 0 Punjab FC
Penalties: Tottenham Hotspur FC 6-5 Punjab FC
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