Next Gen Cup: Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Sudeva FC 2-0

by Chittu Shetty May 23, 2023

Wolverhampton Wanderers qualified for the final of the Reliance Foundation presents Premier League Next Generation Cup following a convincing 2-0 victory against Sudeva Delhi FC at the Reliance Corporate Park (RCP) in Navi Mumbai tonight.

The Wolves scored a goal in either half as they rounded off a flawless performance to secure their spot in the summit clash against Stellenbosch FC on May 26, Friday.

Wolves held on to the majority of the possession right from the offset. They gradually looked to build up pressure on Sudeva. The defense maintained its shape as they pegged the Sudeva side back into their own half gradually. Soon, the Premier League side capitalized on the same as Nathan Fraser headed home a curling corner kick from Owen Hesketh in the ninth minute.

The Wolves optimized their physical prowess, particularly in set pieces and this specific play was a brilliant testament of the same. They won the corner and Hesketh sent in a delivery straight to Fraser, who was waiting for the same deep into the box. He jumped the highest and headed the ball perfectly into the back of the net to get the Wolves ahead in the game.

Hesketh wasn’t done yet though. Later in the half, he stepped on to take a free-kick just outside the 18-yard box. He beat the defensive wall perfectly as the ball barely sailed over the woodwork in what could have been a stupendous second goal of the night for the visiting team.

They, however, did not have to wait long to double the lead. Soon after half-time, Dylan Scicluna made a fantastic run from the midfield into the Sudeva box to get at the end of a short pass from Aaron Keto-Diyawa. Scicluna received the ball with composure and tapped it past Sudeva goalkeeper Sachin Jha to ensure that his team walked away with three points from this contest. Jha emerged as a bright star for Sudeva in this challenging game though.

The custodian made heads turn with an incredible double save in the first half. Jha saved the attempts to ensure that his team was never out of the game. Seilenthang Lotjem and Daniel made some impressive forward forays for Sudeva but it often appeared that their team was challenged by the Wolves in their penalty box.

The Wolves will now head into the finals upon having maintained a clean sheet in all three of their games so far. On the other hand, Sudeva will face Bengaluru FC from Group A on Thursday.

Brief Scores

Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 (Nathan Fraser 9’, Dylan Scicluna 43’) – 0 Sudeva Delhi FC

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