Benfica U21

Premier League International Cup

Crystal Palace

Premier League

Leeds United

Elland Road

Tottenham Hotspur

Selhurst Park

Fulham

Crystal Palace U21

Total shots

Shots on target

Corners

Passes completed

Free kicks

Offsides

**The scenes of jubilation which greeted the full-time whistle at Selhurst Park were befitting of the team's incredible journey to that point, which started just shy of a year ago – 23rd May, 2023 – at the same ground.**

**This is the story of how they did it...**

### Introducing the Premier League International Cup

The Premier League International Cup pits 12 Category 1 sides from England against 12 of the best European sides in three separate groups of eight.

In each group, four English sides were drawn against four European sides. The English sides played each European side once, and did not play one another, with all ties contested in England.

The top two teams from each group, along with two of the best third-place sides, progressed to the quarter-finals.

Palace this season entered the tournament for the second time in their history, having [finished runners-up last season to Jong PSV](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/academy/crystal-palace-u21-season-review-2223/).

The Young Eagles enjoyed a fine run to the final in their first-ever entry into the competition, memorably putting seven goals past Paris Saint-Germain in the group stages; overcoming Liverpool on Merseyside; and defeating Valencia Mestalla in a nerve-racking penalty shootout 

But despite largely having the better of the play in normal time, Palace's dreams last season fell at the final hurdle in the additional 30 minutes against Jong PSV, the youth side of Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, who play in the second-tier and whose greater experience eventually told.

PL International Cup Final Highlights: Palace 1-3 PSV

Entering the tournament in the group stages again this season, Palace were drawn in Group C to face Athletic Club, Benfica, Feyenoord and Monaco.

### Group stage: Athletic Club

#### 1-1 draw

**VBS Community Stadium, Sutton; Wednesday, 27th September 2023**

The first opponents for Powell’s side, back in September, were Athletic Club B. The Spanish giants are famed for their policy of only utilising players born, or trained in, the Basque Country -  an autonomous region in the north of Spain and southwestern France.

This policy extends to the youth sides and has seen the club produce the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Aymeric Laporte and Iñaki Williams.

Athletic Club B play in the Segunda Federación Group II, the fourth tier of Spanish football. They were recently relegated from the Primera Federación - Group II last season and are coached by former player Carlos Gurpegui. He came through the ranks at Basconia, an affiliate club which feeds directly into Athletic Club B.

They had previously competed in every iteration of the Premier League International Cup, apart from last season, though they have never made it beyond the quarter-finals.

In their [opening clash with the Basque giants, Palace drew 1-1](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/match-reports/crystal-palace-athletic-club-bilbao-premier-league-international-cup-2324/) - with Seán Grehan's header in the first-half being cancelled out by Aimar Duñabeitia.

A point gave the Eagles a basis to work on – their campaign was off to a strong start.

International Cup Highlights: Crystal Palace 1-1 Athletic Club

### Group stage: AS Monaco

#### 3-1 win

**VBS Community Stadium, Sutton; Tuesday, 24th October 2023**

Hailing from one of the biggest and most successful clubs in French football, Palace faced a stern test against one of the most reputable Academies in France back in October.

Monaco's academy has produced global football superstars such as Kylian Mbappé, Thierry Henry, Lillian Thuram, Emmanuel Petit, and David Trezeguet.

AS Monaco Groupe Elite, as they are known, previously competed in the Championnat National 2 - the fourth tier of the French football pyramid. They were relegated at the end of 2021/22 and mostly play friendlies against various French and European sides.

Monaco have been regulars in the Premier League International Cup since 2019/20 and also recorded a quarter-final finish in 2020.

Palace took on a strong Monaco side as they welcomed them to the VBS Community Stadium, but they were no match for new summer signing Matheus França as he scored the opening goal in his first-ever game in red and blue.

A stunning strike from Malcolm Ebiowei and a late breakaway goal from Roshaun Mathurin saw [the Eagles emerge 3-1 winners to move top of their group](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/match-reports/crystal-palace-monaco-premier-league-international-cup-2324/).

U21 Match Highlights: Crystal Palace 3-1 AS Monaco

### Group stage: SL Benfica

#### 2-1 win

**VBS Community Stadium, Sutton; Wednesday, 6th December 2023**

The most decorated club in Portuguese football, also known as ‘The Eagles', Benfica are not only one of the big three clubs in Portugal, but also one of the top 10 clubs in UEFA’s official rankings, participating in 43 seasons of European football, second only to Real Madrid.

Benfica’s Academy have produced a number of exceptional players throughout the years including the likes of Rui Costa, Ruében Dias and Nené.

They currently compete in the Liga Portugal 2, the second tier of Portuguese football. Last season, they registered a 15th-place finish.

The Portuguese Eagles have competed in all but one iteration of the Premier League International Cup, reaching the quarter-final on two occasions.

In their final home game of 2023, Palace hosted Benfica and managed to come away with all three points.

An early Mathurin goal followed by a second-half strike from Ademola Ola-Adebomi saw the [south London Eagles come up trumps against the Portuguese Eagles](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/match-reports/crystal-palace-sl-benfica-premier-league-international-cup-u21-2324/) to top the group once more.

International Cup Highlights: Crystal Palace 2-1 SL Benfica

### Group stage: Feyenoord

#### 1-1 draw

**Crystal Palace Academy; Wednesday, 17th January 2024**

Palace’s final opponents in the group were Feyenoord. The Dutch senior side won the Eredivisie last season and have historically enjoyed a strong presence of Academy graduates in their squad.

Some of the graduates from Feyenoord’s Academy over the years include Nathan Aké, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Robin van Persie and Georginio Wijnaldum.

They currently compete in the Divisie 1 U21, the top division of youth football in the Netherlands.

The Dutch outfit have competed in four out of the seven iterations of the Premier League International Cup, though they have never progressed beyond the group stage.

With two wins and a draw, Palace only needed a point against Feyenoord to progress to the quarter-finals – and, after a battling display, they achieved just that.

An upset looked like it was on the cards as the Dutch outfit took the lead early on, though Luke Plange quickly equalised five minutes later.

[The match finished as a 1-1 draw,](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/match-reports/report-plange-pounces-as-palace-u21s-reach-last-eight-of-international-cup/) and that was enough to see the south Londoners through to the quarter-final.

International Cup Highlights: Palace 1-1 Feyenoord

### Quarter-finals: Wolverhampton Wanderers

#### 3-0 win

**VBS Community Stadium, Sutton; Monday, 26th February 2024**

After progressing through the group stage, Palace faced domestic opponents Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League International Cup quarter-final. 

Wolves had previously topped their group going into this game, with wins against PSV, Sparta Prague and Nice. They also recorded a draw against Hertha Berlin.

Palace duly welcomed the West Midlands outfit to the VBS Community Stadium, and managed to [put three past them with no reply](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/match-reports/crystal-palace-wolverhampton-wanderers-u21-premier-league-international-cup-quarter-final/).

A brace for Danny Imray, which were two brilliantly taken goals, along with a fine finish from Mathurin saw Darren Powell's side ease into the semi-finals with their fourth win in their last five games across all competitions at the time.

International Cup Highlights: Crystal Palace 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

### Semi-finals: Everton

#### 4-2 win

**VBS Community Stadium, Sutton; Monday, 26th February 2024**

The semi-finals saw Palace paired with Merseyside outfit Everton at Selhurst Park – and something of a cup thriller ensued.

Fine finishes from Franco Umeh, Trialist, Imray and Justin Devenny saw our U21s soar past the Toffees 4-2 – but they were made to work for it.

A vociferous home crowd of just shy of 800 at Selhurst roared on the boys in red and blue, with Palace going into a commanding position with Umeh and Trialist goals either side of half-time from cut-backs – only for Jenson Metcalfe's low cross to evade everyone and go straight in.

There was plenty of space for Palace to utilise on the counter-attack as Everton poured bodies forwards in search of an equaliser, and Imray did just that with a tidy near-post finish.

But with five minutes remaining, there was a grandstand finish as Metcalfe won and scored a penalty.

Just as the attacks kept on coming, in the third minute of injury time, Palace intercepted the ball on the edge of the box, Mathurin played a diagonal ball forwards, Trialist – two-on-one – headed down for Devenny on the edge of the area – and the midfielder dispatched his effort with aplomb.

Counter-attacking football at its best – the game, the tie, the occasion in the Premier League International Cup, was once again Crystal Palace's. 

Two final appearances in two seasons in the competition;  Palace were up for a shot at revenge.

Premier League International Cup Highlights: Crystal Palace 4-2 Everton

### Final: Jong PSV

#### 1-0 win

**Selhurst Park; Wednesday, 15th May 2024**

Heading into this year's final, much like last season, PSV had enjoyed a strong showing in the tournament. 

The Dutch team had won three of their four group-stage games, which included 7-0 thrashing of Leeds United, before coming from behind at Stamford Bridge to beat Chelsea 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

It was a similar story for the PSV in the semi-final, as they were 2-0 down at half-time against West Ham United, but somehow fought back to win 3-2 in stoppage time.

But this time, the night belonged to Crystal Palace.

A superb counter-attacking display, capped by Franco Umeh’s deflected effort midway through the second-half, saw the Eagles take Jong PSV’s Premier League International Cup crown with a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park.

Premier League International Cup Final Highlights: Crystal Palace 1-0 PSV Eindhoven

They were backed by another strong attendance – with over 2,000 tickets sold ahead of kick-off – on a glorious early summer’s eve in SE25.

The Eagles admittedly rode their luck at times throughout the game, with goalkeeper and captain Joe Whitworth an outstanding performer between the posts – with two first-half saves in particular of the highest calibre.

But that display, coupled with Franco Umeh’s deflected second-half strike, and an incredible show of resilience throughout the young Palace team was enough, on this occasion, to keep the trophy in south London.

“It’s massive, massive \[for the club\] – and for the players as well,” head coach Powell told Palace TV. “I say for the players, but coming here last year and losing the final… we couldn't do it again. We couldn't do it again, and that was the mantra.

"It wasn't our best performance, but we were up against a really good side. They were really good side last year, and again, they've just got very good players. And then we rode our luck, yes, but that's football. That's football.

“I said before the game: it's about creating memories. As they go on in their life, life's all about memories, right? And wherever they go in the game, you shouldn't forget these memories.

“This \[the Palace Academy\] is a school of football. You go into the professional game, and you look back - it's still part of you. That's why I said ‘create memories. I know it was a bad memory last year, but let's create a good memory and carry that for the rest of your days.’”

This night was theirs – forever.

Crystal Palace Under-21s emerged triumphant against Jong PSV in the final of the Premier League International Cup on Wednesday night – becoming just the second English Academy to claim the European trophy.

Palace's Premier League International Cup triumph: How they did it

Crystal Palace U21 v Feyenoord U21 (2024-01-17)

Crystal Palace U21 v Benfica U21 (2023-12-06)

Crystal Palace U21 v Monaco U21 (2023-10-24)

Crystal Palace U21 v Athletic Club U21 (2023-09-27)

Crystal Palace U21 v Wolverhampton Wanderers U21 (2024-02-26)

Crystal Palace U21 v Everton U21 (2024-04-16)

Crystal Palace U21 v PSV Eindhoven U21 (2024-05-15)

In a return to Premier League 2 action, it’s a capital clash in south London, with West Ham United U21s the visitors to the VBS Community Stadium on **Monday, 18th December (KO: 19:00)**.

Last time the two sides met at U21s level, Palace were reduced to 10-men and were trailing 3-1, before fighting back to earn a 3-3 draw. Darren Powell and his side will be hoping to better the previous result and sign off for the winter break in style with victory under the lights in Sutton.

Buy U21s tickets

If you can't make it to the VBS Community Stadium, the game will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+, [click HERE for more information](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/supporters/palace-tv-plus/).

And as always, extensive coverage of the three fixtures will be available on cpfc.co.uk, the official Palace App and our [dedicated Academy Twitter account](https://twitter.com/CPFCAcademy).

### Prices

- **Adult**: £5
- **Senior:** £2
- **Under-16s**: £2
- **Academy Founder Member:** FOC - Limited to one free ticket per account

### MATCH DETAILS

**Palace U21s v West Ham United U21s**

- Monday, 18th December
- VBS Community Stadium (SM1 2EY)
- 19:00 GMT
- [Click HERE to buy tickets for this match!](https://www.eticketing.co.uk/cpfc/Events?preFilter=5&preFilterName=1.%20Home%20Matches)

Tickets are available for Crystal Palace Under-21s' final home game of 2023, on Monday 18th December (KO: 19:00 GMT), against West Ham United Under-21s at the VBS Community Stadium.

Back the U21s at Sutton in final game of 2023!

Crystal Palace U21 v Middlesbrough U21 (2023-12-11)

Crystal Palace U21 v West Ham United U21 (2023-12-18)

## Summary

- Darren Powell named the same starting XI for the third successive game

- Palace withstand early Benfica pressure

- Mathurin puts Palace ahead inside the opening 10 minutes

- Benfica hit the post immediately after Palace take the lead

- Whitworth makes a strong stop to deny Domingues

- **HT: Palace 1-0 Benfica**

- Benfica start the second-half brightly

- Ola-Adebomi doubles the lead for Palace just before the hour-mark

- Varela pulls one back for Benfica a couple of minutes later

- Grehan and Sheridan combine to deny Benfica on the line

- Whitworth pulls off a reaction save in stoppage time

- Parente is shown a second yellow card just before the final whistle

- **FT: Palace 2-1 Benfica**

Just four days on from the [3-0 victory over reigning Premier League 2 champions Manchester City](https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/match-reports/manchester-city-crystal-palace-u21-premier-league-2-2324/), Crystal Palace Under-21s welcomed SL Benfica U21s to south London as they continued their campaign in the Premier League International Cup.

Head coach Darren Powell named an unchanged starting XI for the third successive game in a row, with Joe Whitworth continuing in goal and the in-form Ademola Ola-Adebomi leading the line.

The Portuguese Eagles enjoyed a lot of the ball early on, creating chances right from the off and earning a succession of corners. They failed to make their early pressure count, as Palace took the lead in the eighth minute.

After winning the ball back off of Antonio Muanza, Danny Imray raced forward down the right hand side and linked up well with Jack Wells-Morrison. The ball was worked across to Kaden Rodney, who in turn found Roshaun Mathurin in acres of space inside the box.

The Palace No. 10 made no mistake, rifling in past Ricardo Ribeiro at the near post, for his seventh goal of the season.

Benfica almost equalised immediately from kick-off, with Francisco Domingues whipping in a cross which Gustavo Varela met with his head. The forward’s header cannoned back off the post and the ball was eventually cleared away.

Quickly down the other end, a raking cross-field ball from Imray found Ola-Adebomi and the Palace striker fired a fierce shot on goal that was parried into the path of Franco Umeh. He unfortunately fired over the bar from close range.

Umeh again nearly doubled Palace’s advantage, though his curling effort from distance went narrowly over.

Benfica were determined to find an equaliser in the first-half, however the Palace defence stood firm. Whitworth made a fine stop to deny a strong shot from Domingues after a well-worked move. Just before the break, Imray put in a perfectly timed sliding challenge to deny Domingues once again.

After the interval, Benfica kept their momentum and peppered shots on Palace’s goal. Their intent to level saw them vulnerable on the counter, and that proved to be exactly how the Eagles doubled their lead 10 minutes into the half.

David Ozoh played it out towards Umeh on the right as Palace broke away on a counter, and Umeh in turn fed the onrushing Imray on the overlap. He squared it across into the path of Ola-Adebomi, inside the six-yard box, who couldn’t miss from close range.

The south Londoner’s two-goal cushion didn’t last long as Varela pulled one back for Benfica two minutes after Ola-Adebomi’s goal. José Marques was played through and managed to cut it back across the box for Varela to finish.

Attack after attack for Benfica was snuffed out by the stalwart Palace defence. Centre-back duo Seán Grehan and Joe Sheridan combined well to deny the visitors, with the prior clearing off the line and the latter blocking a follow up effort moments after a corner.

Second-half substitute Victor Akinwale had a golden opportunity to seal all three points, finding himself one on one after being played in on yet another breakaway, but Ribeiro did well to spread himself and deny him.

In stoppage time, Whitworth was called into action once more as he made a fantastic reaction save to deny the visitors after a scramble from a corner. On the counter following the save, Akinwale was brought down on the edge of the box and Tiago Parente was shown a second yellow card.

The last kick of the game from Akinwale on the resulting free-kick, was narrowly wide of the mark. Victory over Benfica means Powell’s side return to the top of Group C, one clear of Everton and four ahead of Fulham and Monaco.

**Palace:** Whitworth (GK), Imray, Grehan, Sheridan, Adaramola, Rodney, Ozoh, Wells-Morrison, Mathurin (Watson, 70), Ola-Adebomi, Umeh (Akinwale, 83).

Subs not used: Izquierdo (GK), Reid, Raymond, Francis, Devenny. 

**Benfica:** Ribeiro (GK), Marques (Batista, 70), Sequeira, Prioste, Domingues (Zambrano, 83), Lacroix (Luis, 45), Varela, Muller, Parente, Jevsenak, Muanza.

Sub not used: Moreira (GK).

Crystal Palace Under-21s returned to the top of Group C in the Premier League International Cup with a strong display against SL Benfica. Goals from the in-form Roshaun Mathurin and Ademola Ola-Adebomi, combined with a solid defensive display, saw the side claim all three points.


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