Birmingham: The Indian sides wrapped up their Premier League Next Generation Cup 2024 campaign with Punjab FC securing a terrific 2-0 victory against Aston Villa FC on the final day of the competition. Muthoot FA and East Bengal FC finished sixth and eighth respectively, but Punjab FC earned a podium finish and won the hearts on the back of consecutive wins against Everton FC and Aston Villa FC. They dominated their third-place game right from kick-off and never gave Aston Villa a chance to crawl back into the proceedings.
Punjab FC’s Manglethang Kipgen scored a stunning goal in the 13th minute to continue his sublime run in the competition. Punjab FC is only the second Indian team after Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) to defeat two Premier League sides in a single edition of the Next Generation Cup.
Omang Dodum applied the finishing touches to the game with a brilliant strike in the 35th minute to double Punjab FC’s lead. An erroneous header attempt by Aston Villa gave Dodum a chance to make a run towards the goal and he found the back of the net with his immaculate finishing skills.
As Punjab FC’s coach Shankarlal Chakravarthy said, the boys were calm and composed before the game and they knew what to do once the whistle sounded. The team studied the opposition and improved on both sides of the field in the first two days of the tournament and their victories in the last two matches were a result of all the hard work. They controlled possession effectively and excelled on both sides of the field.
As much as everyone credits the goal-scorers, the defensive line deserves a heap of praise too. Punjab FC’s defense was exceptional and Aston Villa didn’t have any space to operate during the entire match. The goalkeeper Ayush Deshwal saved plenty of on-target attempts by Aston Villa and demoralised their strikers with every block.
As the group stages ended on Saturday, there wasn’t a penalty shootout for a bonus point. Punjab FC finished over storied Premier League franchises like Aston Villa, Everton and Crystal Palace in the final standings.
“Our players have been improving their performances with every passing game. It is a testament to the fact that more exposure trips will further fine-tune their skills and help them develop at both individual and collective levels as a team,” Chakraborty said after the game.
–IANS
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