PL-ISL Next Gen Cup: FC Goa edge past RFYC, Chelsea beat Southampton, Man Utd too good for Bengaluru

The boys from FC Goa made it two wins out of two on Day 2 of the PL-ISL Next Generation Cup Mumbai 2020 at the Reliance Corporate Park in Navi Mumbai. The young Gaurs held their nerves during a titanic encounter to finish the match 1-0 up against the Reliance Foundation Youth Champs.

RFYC began the encounter from where they left the previous game with an attacking mindset at the outset. Silajit Santra, who had scored in their opening two games, presented a constant threat down the flanks and he was ably supported by Yanglem Sanathomba.

However, as the match progressed, FC Goa found a foothold and started a robust counter attack. Salgeo Inacio Dias, in particular, had a couple of opportunities to take the lead but was denied by RFYC’s sturdy defence.

At the start of the second half, the Reliance Foundation Young Champs began in a similar vein to the opening period as they immediately swarmed the FC Goa box in their pursuit for the first goal of the match. However, Razibul Mistry saw his right-footed shot saved by Goa goalkeeper Micky Dias.

Throughout the contest, both sides displayed exemplary application and energy, across the pitch, with both teams fighting to maintain possession.

It was FC Goa who took first honour at the goal in the 39th minute as Merwin Domnic Fernandes showed the requisite awareness to bundle a loose ball over the line from close range.

However, that didn’t seem to faze RFYC as they kept pushing for an equalizer. In the 45th minute, Akshay Venkat found himself through on goal but he sliced his shot past the near post.

FC Goa, despite the incessant pressure from the Young Champs, held on towards the end to ensure that they capped off their day with another victory.

An All-English clash was one of the highlights of the evening leg of Day 2 of the PL-ISL Next Generation Mumbai Cup 2020 as the youth team of Chelsea took on their counterparts from Southampton, here at the Reliance Corporate Park Football Ground, Navi Mumbai

Both the teams started rather conservatively, focusing more on not conceding to their opponents preferring to stay back and not press. Ato Ampah from the Young Blues outfit, had other plans as he wreaked havoc with his incisive runs from the right flank. He decided to change the momentum of the game with an ambitious initial strike which was palmed away by the Soton’s goalkeeper, Alfie Prescott. However, he found success in the ninth minute, as he steered his way into the box, showed innate control and curled the ball into the net.

Southampton did find the net shortly after Ampah’s goal but Ryan Chavez-Munoz’s effort was ruled out as an offside. Their centre-back, Ethan, drove the team ahead with some confident runs into the midfield but most of his passes were intercepted or rather well-dealt with by the Chelsea players.

The match continued to remain equally competitive even in the second half, but the teams were at times unable to display that elusive finishing touch to the trouble the goalkeepers.

Chelsea piled up the pressure as the match entered its dying embers, and it was eventually Jack Phillips whose flawless strike in the final minute of the regulation time ensured that his team doubled their lead over the ‘Young Saints’.

Southampton’s striker Adetonkunbo did try to pull one back as he took a clean and concise shot which unfortunately whisked past the crossbar late in the injury time.

The young brigade from Chelsea wrapped up another convincing victory to register their third consecutive win in this tournament.

Result: Chelsea [Ato Ampah 9’, Jack Phillips 50’] beat Southampton: 2-0

anchester United FC’s Under 14s bounced back from a narrow defeat against Chelsea FC earlier in the day to register a dominant 5-1 win against the boys from Bengaluru FC in the PL-ISL Next Generation Mumbai Cup 2020 here at the Reliance Corporate Park Football Ground, Navi Mumbai today.

United were assertive from the offset, as Lewis Dean Forshaw scored an early goal in the fourth minute and thereby set the tone for the match. The Young Red Devils prolonged their dominance, with Jack Lee Moorhouse breaking no sweat and adding upon the lead a couple of minutes after Forshaw’s successful attempt at goal.

Forshaw, United’s captain, was specifically impressive throughout the game. Rajanbir Singh clawed his team back into the game with a powerful free-kick from near the halfway mark. United’s goalkeeper, Adam Berry, mishandled the shot and the ball crept its way into the net. However, the joy didn’t last long for the home team as Finley McAllister’s tap-in through a low-cross further aided his team to attain a firmer grip over the proceedings. United were relentless from thereon, as Louis Jackson nodded home a goal through a corner and pegged the opposition further back with respect to their hopes of initiating a comeback in the game.

The second half followed suit in terms of the pattern of play as Bengaluru were stifled in their own half and were unable to create many goal-scoring opportunities barring a couple of endeavours from Monirul Molla. United rounded off a convincingly credible outing with a late goal in the second half from Tomas Jones.

Result: Manchester United FC [Lewis Forshaw 4’, Jack Lee Moorhouse 6’, Finley McAllister 15’, Louis Jackson 18’, Tomas Jones 44’] beat Bengaluru FC [Rajanbir Singh 11’]: 5-1