Next Gen Cup 2022 Live: Kerala Blasters vs Crystal Palace

Published at :July 30, 2022 at 7:19 PM

Modified at :July 31, 2022 at 2:45 AM

2:30 PM: Hello everyone and welcome to Khel Now’s LIVE COVERAGE of the Kerala Blasters vs Crystal Palace match in Next Gen Cup 2022. The kick-off is just 30 minutes away! I’m your host Yash Pratap Singh, and I’ll be keeping you company through what promises a fascinating evening of football. Please wait for 30 Seconds for Live blog to load.

https://youtu.be/MfvPSAS6lvc

Watch Live: Kerala Blasters vs Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace vs Kerala Blasters: Build-up

Kerala Blasters suffered a 7-0 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the first match (semi-final). The team not only had the developmental talents, but some players who featured in the Indian Super League last season were also included in the squad. The seniority of Ayush Adhikari (captain), Hormipam Ruivah, Bijoy Varghese and Jeakson Singh assisted the reserves in the competition. However, though Bengaluru FC were able to secure a few goals, Kerala Blasters were completely outplayed by the opposition.

Kerala Blasters' reserve side coach Tomasz Tchorz revealed his side learned a lot from their 7-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur's academy team in the semi-final. The Polish coach accepted defeat was hard but insisted that the team is full of motivation to come back and perform better at the next edition of the Next Generation Cup - part of Football Sports Development Limited's (FSDL) partnership with the Premier League.

"The Next Generation Cup is a huge motivation for all of us to come back here again. I hope it will motivate us to work better and win the Reliance Foundation Development League next season. Surely, all of us want to come back here one day soon," said Tchorz.

Match preview: Read

"The biggest learning was how we could beat Tottenham Hotspur's possession on the field. It was a good experience to understand our capabilities and our level and how we can compete with teams like Tottenham. It has been a major source of motivation for us to go back to India, work better and work harder in order to achieve the level that allows us to compete better in the future here," the coach said reflecting on the first match.