East Bengal Women complete a perfect qualifying campaign in Malaysia to reach the AFC Women’s Champions League main draw for a second consecutive season.

Kolkata, August 23: East Bengal Women have done it again. The Moshal Girls have marched into the AFC Women’s Champions League main draw for a second successive season, completing their qualifying campaign with a perfect record of all with dominantly and another statement of their growing presence on the Asian stage.

After beginning their Group A campaign with a convincing 4–0 victory over Bangladesh’s Rajshahi Stars, East Bengal followed it up with a historic 12–0 demolition of Guam’s Rovers FC. But the biggest test of the campaign awaited them in their final group game, against hosts Sabah FC, with qualification on the line.

And once again, the Moshal Girls delivered.
Playing in front of the home crowd in Kota Kinabalu, East Bengal secured a 2–0 victory over Sabah FC, finishing the preliminary stage with three wins from three, 18 goals scored and three cleansheet.

The opening two games had already shown the attacking strength of Anthony Andrews’ side. Olivia Anokye announced herself with a brace against Rajshahi Stars, while Astam Oraon and Soumya Guguloth also found the net in the opening 4–0 victory. Against Rovers, East Bengal took that dominance to another level, scoring 12 times with nine different players getting on the scoresheet to register the biggest-ever win by an Indian club in an Asian competition.

But against Sabah, it was a different kind of challenge. The Malaysian hosts were determined to make their final home game count, and the first half ended without a goal. East Bengal, however, continued to control the contest and refused to let the occasion or the opposition take them away from their purpose.

After the goalless first half, the breakthrough finally arrived in the 67th minute. Olivia Anokye, who had already scored five goals in this campaign, and produced another moment of individual brilliance. The Ghanaian forward created the opening herself before firing into the back of the net to put East Bengal ahead.

With the lead secured, the Moshal Girls continued to push forward and kept Sabah under pressure. The hosts struggled to find a way back into the contest as East Bengal remained in control.

Two minutes before the end of regulation time, the second goal arrived through Soumya Guguloth. Putting the result beyond doubt and sealing another clean sheet for the Indian champions. The 2–0 win completed a flawless qualifying campaign: three matches, three victories, 18 goals scored and zero conceded.

More importantly, it means East Bengal Women have once again gone where no Indian women’s club had gone before them. They will now enter the AFC Women’s Champions League main draw for the second consecutive season, having already made history last year as the first Indian club to win a group-stage match in the competition.

This time, however, the Moshal Girls arrive with greater experience and another dominant qualifying campaign behind them. The main draw awaits in September, with the matches scheduled to begin in November. Twelve teams will be divided into three groups of four.

And after three games of dominance in Malaysia, East Bengal Women will enter that stage knowing they have already made their statement.