Kolkata, April 30: With a win in the first match of the second phase of the Indian Women’s League, East Bengal Women strengthened their title defence. Defeating Sethu FC 1–0 at the East Bengal ground on Thursday, East Bengal Women took their points tally to 24 after winning all eight matches, leaving second positioned Sethu FC 8 points behind.
From the kickoff, East Bengal Women started attacking and creating chances. However, in the 15th minute, Sethu FC created a promising opportunity. From a quick attack, they earned a corner from the left. The ball came into the box where Dhurga P was positioned on the left side, and from there she attempted a low shot towards the net, but Panthoi Chanu was alert and saved the threat.
Within three minutes, the Moshal Girls created an open scoring chance. Sarita Yumnam sent a cross into the box from the right flank, and unmarked Sulanjana Raul received it. However, her shot hit the crossbar, missing a golden opportunity to give her side the lead.
Before the end of the first half, Fazila Ikwaput attempted a dangerous move to convert it into a goal, but Anjila stood firm. In the 42nd minute, when unmarked Fazila was positioned inside the box close to the net and about to receive the ball, the Sethu FC goalkeeper made an interception to keep her net untouched.
The second half began with East Bengal Women continuing their attacking momentum, while Sethu FC seemed to switch to an all-out defensive approach. However, the goal did not come as Sethu FC’s defence remained unbreakable, and whenever they created a few chances, the Moshal Girls did not allow them to capitalize.
Both teams made some changes to bring a difference to the game, and with that, the crucial moment went in favour of the Moshal Girls. In the 64th minute, the combination of Fazila Ikwaput and substitute Soumya made the difference. Fazila passed the ball to Soumya, who entered the box from the right and created space before releasing the ball back to Fazila, who placed it into the net to give East Bengal Women the lead and secure all three points.
After the win, Anthony Andrews’ team now have all 24 points from eight games, with five matches left to play. Sethu FC remain in second position, but are now 8 points behind.
As they continue their strong defence of their historic Indian Women’s League title, Anthony Andrews said he is happy with his team’s performance and believes this campaign could redefine their history. However, he added that their focus will now shift to the next clash against Gokulam Kerala FC Women.
On the other hand, Surbhi Manjarkar, the assistant coach of Sethu FC, said the defeat had a heavy impact, but there are still matches left to play. She added that their strong rivals also have games remaining, so the fight is still on.
With the title race entering its decisive stage, East Bengal Women have taken a major step towards retaining their crown, while Sethu FC will look to keep their hopes alive in the remaining matches of the Indian Women’s League with the next fixtures against Sribhumi FC.
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