2016–17 Premier League International Cup
 The Stadium of Light in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland hosted the final | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 August 2016 – 17 May 2017 |
| Teams | 24 (from 8 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Porto (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Sunderland |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 43 |
| Goals scored | 119 (2.77 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Carlton Morris (4 goals) |
← 2015–16 2017–18 → | |
International football competition
The 2016–17 Premier League International Cup was the third season of the Premier League International Cup, a European club football competition organised by the Premier League for under-23 players.[1]
Villarreal were the defending champions, having defeated PSV 4–2 in the previous season's final, but were eliminated in the group stage.
Qualification
Twelve teams in Premier League 2 were invited to represent England in the tournament, while European teams that qualify for the knockout stages were guaranteed an invite for the following season's competition. The teams were split into six groups of four - with two English league clubs per group. The group winners, and two best runners-up, progressed into the knockout phase of the tournament. The knockout matches were single leg fixtures.[2]
All matches - including fixtures between non-English teams - were played in England and Wales.
Teams
Valencia, Feyenoord, Sparta Prague, Dinamo Zagreb, VfL Wolfsburg, and Hertha Berlin were the new international entrants in the 2016–17 season.
| English league system: | Other countries:
|
Group stage
The draw for the group stage was held on 28 July 2016.[3] The teams were drawn into four groups, each containing two English sides and two European sides.
| Color key in group tables |
|---|
| Group winners and the two best runners-up advance to the quarterfinals |
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 |
| Benfica | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| Derby County | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 |
 PSV Eindhoven | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 |
Source: [citation needed]
Derby County 
v 
PSV Eindhoven
v PSV Eindhoven | 22 September 2016 | Derby County | 2–1 | PSV Eindhoven | Burton upon Trent |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Blackman  pen' (14) Rawson 19' | Report | Gudmundsson pen' (63) | Stadium: St George's Park |
Derby County v 
Benfica
v Benfica | 14 October 2016 | Derby County | 0–2 | Benfica | Burton upon Trent |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Report | Stadium: St George's Park |
Sunderland v Benfica
v Benfica | 18 November 2016 | Sunderland | 2–1 | Benfica | Sunderland |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Asoro 19' Molyneux | Tavares | Stadium: Eppleton Colliery Welfare Ground Attendance: 344[4] |
Sunderland v PSV Eindhoven
v PSV Eindhoven | 23 December 2016 | Sunderland | 2–0 | PSV Eindhoven | Sunderland |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Embleton 69' Asoro 86' | Stadium: Stadium of Light |
Derby County v Sunderland
v Sunderland | 12 January 2017 | Derby County | 2–2 | Sunderland | Derby |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | MacDonald 41' J. Robson 45' (o.g.) | Report | Nelson 66' Cresswell 90' (o.g.) | Stadium: iPro Stadium Attendance: 207[5] |
Benfica v PSV Eindhoven
v PSV Eindhoven | 18 January 2017 | Benfica | 0–0 | PSV Eindhoven | New Malden |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Stadium: Motspur Park |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 |
| Middlesbrough | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 |
 Villarreal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
 Sparta Prague | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
Manchester United v 
Villarreal
v Villarreal | 13 September 2016 | Manchester United | 1–0 | Villarreal | Leigh |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Harrop 34' | [1] | Stadium: Leigh Sports Village |
Middlesbrough v Villarreal
v Villarreal | 11 October 2016 | Middlesbrough | 1–0 | Villarreal | Darlington |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Cooke 90' | Stadium: The Darlington Arena[6] |
Middlesbrough v 
Sparta Prague
v Sparta Prague | 15 November 2016 | Middlesbrough | 1–0 | Sparta Prague | Hartlepool |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Cooke 33' | Stadium: Victoria Park |
Villarreal v Sparta Prague
v Sparta Prague | 13 December 2016 | Villarreal | 2–1 | Sparta Prague | Burton upon Trent |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Stadium: St George's Park |
Manchester United v Sparta Prague
v Sparta Prague | 15 December 2016 | Manchester United | 2–0 | Sparta Prague | Leigh |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Harrop 21' Redmond 55' | Report | Stadium: Leigh Sports Village Attendance: 943[7] |
Manchester United v Middlesbrough
v Middlesbrough | 22 December 2016 | Manchester United | 2–2 | Middlesbrough | Leigh |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Mitchell 59' Goss 72' pen | Report | de Pena 63', 83' | Stadium: Leigh Sports Village Attendance: 856[8] |
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porto | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 7 |
 VfL Wolfsburg | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 |
| Leicester City | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 3 |
| Liverpool | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 1 |
Source: [citation needed]
Liverpool v 
VfL Wolfsburg
v VfL Wolfsburg | 28 September 2016 | Liverpool | 1–2 | VfL Wolfsburg | Birkenhead |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Lennon 80' | [2] | Brekalo 51' Hansen 90' | Stadium: Prenton Park |
Leicester City v VfL Wolfsburg
v VfL Wolfsburg | 11 October 2016 | Leicester City | 0–3 | VfL Wolfsburg | Leicester |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | [3] | Zawada 42' Donkor 58' 63' | Stadium: King Power Stadium Referee: Thomas Bramall |
Liverpool v Porto
v Porto | 2 November 2016 | Liverpool | 1–1 | Porto | Birkenhead |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Lennon 65' | Report | Govea 49' | Stadium: Prenton Park |
Leicester City v Porto
v Porto | 12 November 2016 | Leicester City | 0–2 | Porto | Leicester |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Report | Inácio 55' Palmer-Brown 81' | Stadium: King Power Stadium |
Leicester City v Liverpool
v Liverpool | 3 December 2016 | Leicester City | 2–1 | Liverpool | Leicester |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Ndukwu 50' Ndukwu 77' | Wilson 45' | Stadium: Holmes Park |
Porto v VfL Wolfsburg
v VfL Wolfsburg | 14 December 2016 | Porto | 3–0 | VfL Wolfsburg | Brighton |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Ramos 39' Areias 44' Kayembe 58' | Report | Stadium: American Express Elite Performance Centre |
Group D
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dinamo Zagreb | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
 Swansea City | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 |
| Chelsea | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 |
| Feyenoord | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
Swansea City 
v Feyenoord
v Feyenoord | 11 October 2016 | Swansea City | 2–0 | Feyenoord | Swansea |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Plezier 10' Biabi 90' pen | Stadium: Landore Training Centre |
Swansea City v 
Dinamo Zagreb
v Dinamo Zagreb | 11 November 2016 | Swansea City | 0–0 | Dinamo Zagreb | Swansea |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Stadium: Landore Training Centre |
Chelsea v Feyenoord
v Feyenoord | 29 November 2016 | Chelsea | 2–1 | Feyenoord | Aldershot |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Sterling 84' Tomori 85' | Basacikoglu 12' | Stadium: Recreation Ground |
Chelsea v Dinamo Zagreb
v Dinamo Zagreb | 16 December 2016 | Chelsea | 0–1 | Dinamo Zagreb | Aldershot |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Mihaljević 38' | Stadium: Recreation Ground |
Feyenoord v Dinamo Zagreb
v Dinamo Zagreb | 20 December 2016 | Feyenoord | 0–3 | Dinamo Zagreb | Stoke d'Abernon |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Mihaljević 25' Mihaljević 36' Muhar 90+2' | Stadium: Cobham Training Centre |
Chelsea v Swansea City
v Swansea City | 22 December 2016 | Chelsea | 1–2 | Swansea City | Aldershot |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Quintero 34' | Biabi 53' James 86' | Stadium: Recreation Ground |
Group E
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwich City | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 9 |
 Celtic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 |
| Aston Villa | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 |
| Valencia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
Norwich City v Valencia
v Valencia | 6 September 2016 | Norwich City | 2–0 | Valencia | Norwich |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Morris 15' Latorre (o.g.), 28' | [4] | Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 829 |
Aston Villa v Valencia
v Valencia | 5 October 2016 | Aston Villa | 2–1 | Valencia | Birmingham |
| 20:00 BST (UTC+1) | O'Hare 41' 82' | [5] | Soler Barragan 45' | Stadium: Villa Park |
Aston Villa v 
Celtic
v Celtic | 9 November 2016 | Aston Villa | 0–3 | Celtic | Birmingham |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Report 1 Report 2 | Donnelly 15' 63' Aitchison 34' | Stadium: Villa Park |
Norwich City v Celtic
v Celtic | 16 November 2016 | Norwich City | 3–0 | Celtic | Norwich |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Morris 6' (pen.), 81' Murphy 58' | Report 1 Report 2 | Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 2,074 |
Valencia v Celtic
v Celtic | 30 November 2016 | Valencia | 0–3 | Celtic | Southampton |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Report 1 Report 2 | Nesbitt 1' Donnelly 39' Ajer 56' | Stadium: Staplewood |
Norwich City v Aston Villa
v Aston Villa | 12 January 2017 | Norwich City | 4–3 | Aston Villa | Norwich |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Maddison 43' Morris 47'Middleton 56'Jaiyesimi 76' | Report | Davis 29', 52' Sellars 44' | Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 200 Referee: Dean Treleaven |
Group F
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hertha BSC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 |
| Everton | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 |
| Reading | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
Everton v Reading
v Reading | 18 August 2016 | Everton | 2–1 | Reading | Southport |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Dyson 7' Evans 12' | Report | Fosu 36' | Stadium: Haig Avenue |
Athletic Bilbao v Hertha BSC
v Hertha BSC | 26 October 2016 | Athletic Bilbao | 2–2 | Hertha BSC | Brighton |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Iriondo 6' Morcillo 76' | Report | Kohls 32' Pelivan 55' pen | Stadium: American Express Elite Football Performance Centre |
Everton v Hertha BSC
v Hertha BSC | 23 November 2016 | Everton | 1–3 | Hertha BSC | Liverpool |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Jones 50' | Report | Friede 11' Friede 20' Mirbach 32' | Stadium: Goodison Park |
Reading v Athletic Bilbao
v Athletic Bilbao | 23 November 2016 | Reading | 2–3 | Athletic Bilbao | High Wycombe |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Méïte 4' 9' | Report | Southwood 45+3' og Bilbao 71' Villalibre 72' | Stadium: Adams Park |
Reading v Hertha BSC
v Hertha BSC | 14 December 2016 | Reading | 0–2 | Hertha BSC | Reading |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Report | Friede 64' Beyer 74' | Stadium: Madejski Stadium |
Everton v Athletic Bilbao
v Athletic Bilbao | 21 December 2016 | Everton | 1–2 | Athletic Bilbao | Liverpool |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Connolly 9' | Report | Córdoba 43' Núñez 81' | Stadium: Goodison Park |
Ranking of second-placed teams
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swansea City | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 |
| Athletic Bilbao | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 |
| Middlesbrough | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 |
| Celtic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 6 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 |
| Benfica | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
Source: [citation needed]
Knockout stages
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Swansea City | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Hertha BSC | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Swansea City | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Porto | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Manchester United | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Porto | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Porto | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Sunderland | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Norwich City | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Norwich City | 0 | |||||||||||||
| Sunderland | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Sunderland | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Athletic Bilbao | 0 | |||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
Sunderland v Athletic Bilbao
v Athletic Bilbao | 15 February 2017 | Sunderland | 2–0 | Athletic Bilbao | Sunderland |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | E. Robson 25' Embleton 47' | Report | Córdoba  52' | Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 634 Referee: Tom Bramall (Derbyshire) |
Swansea City v Hertha BSC
v Hertha BSC | 28 February 2017 | Swansea City | 5–1 | Hertha BSC | Swansea |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Report | Stadium: Liberty Stadium |
Manchester United v Porto
v Porto | 22 February 2017 | Manchester United | 0–2 | Porto | Leigh |
| 19:00 GMT (UTC) | Report 1 Report 2 | Díaz 65', 69' | Stadium: Leigh Sports Village Attendance: 1,212[9] |
Norwich City v Dinamo Zagreb
v Dinamo Zagreb | 27 February 2017 | Norwich City | 6–0 | Dinamo Zagreb | Norwich |
| Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 2,526 |
Semi-finals
Swansea City v Porto
v Porto | 25 March 2017 | Swansea City | 0–1 | Porto | Swansea |
| 12:30 GMT (UTC) | Report | Galeno 64' | Stadium: Liberty Stadium |
Norwich City v Sunderland
v Sunderland | 31 March 2017 | Norwich City | 0–1 | Sunderland | Norwich |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Report | Asoro 13' | Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 3,000 estimated[10] |
Final
Sunderland v Porto
v Porto | 17 May 2017 | Sunderland | 0–5 | Porto | Sunderland |
| 19:00 BST (UTC+1) | Report | Galeno 5', 37' Pereira 45+2'Kayembe 51'Awaziem 55' | Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 18,317 |
References
- ^ "Premier League International Cup: Format explained". Premier League. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Premier League International Cup explained". Premier League. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ^ "Man Utd to face International Cup holders". Premier League. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- ^ "Sunderland U23 2-1 Benfica U23 report: Black Cats make winning start in International Cup". ChronicleLive. 18 November 2016.
- ^ "U23 REPORT: DERBY COUNTY 2-2 SUNDERLAND". Derby County FC.
- ^ "Middlesbrough U23s vs Villarreal: History beckons for Boro in the Premier League International Cup". Gazette Live. 11 October 2016.
- ^ @lsvstadium (December 15, 2016). "Finishes @ManUtd 2 @ACSparta_EN 0 in #PLInternationalCup" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @lsvstadium (December 22, 2016). "FULL TIME #mufc 2 #boro 2" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @lsvstadium (February 22, 2017). "FULL TIME: #mufc 0 #fcporto 2" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Norwich City U23s 0 Sunderland U23s 1 – Canaries miss out on place in Premier League International Cup final". Eastern Daily Press.
