Kolkata, November 20: East Bengal Women endured a challenging afternoon in Wuhan as they suffered a 2–0 defeat to defending champions Wuhan Jiangda FC at the Hankou Culture Sports Centre. Despite a determined defensive effort, especially from goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu, the Moshal girls struggled to break through a dominant Chinese side that controlled large spells of the match.
Wuhan Jiangda started with early urgency and got their opening early, in the 7th minute. Wang slipped a precise through ball to Deng, who fired a shot from inside the box, but Panthoi reacted sharply to keep the attempt away. However, the pressure didn’t ease. Just a minute later, Song Fei sent a pass from the left side of the box, and Wang calmly placed it into the net to give Wuhan a 1–0 lead.
The hosts continued to push forward, and another crucial moment arrived in the 17th minute. Wang dribbled her way into the East Bengal box, forcing Panthoi to rush out. The goalkeeper slid in to stop her, but after a VAR review, the referee awarded Wuhan a penalty. Wang stepped up and , extend the lead to 2–0.
East Bengal struggled to establish attacking rhythm, with most of their forward movements quickly stopped by Wuhan Jiangda’s disciplined defensive line.
The second half followed a similar pattern, Wuhan Jiangda pressing high, East Bengal depending heavily on defensive structure and Panthoi’s reliability. In the 73rd minute, Mavis Owusu came closest to pulling one back. She capitalised on a loose ball inside the six-yard box and unleashed a shot, but the Red & Gold defence produced a goal-line clearance.
Despite a commendable effort from Panthoi, who made several important stops throughout the match, East Bengal Women couldn’t find the breakthrough they searched for. Their limited attacking chances were shut down quickly, and the deadlock at the other end remained untouched.
In the end, East Bengal Women slipped to their second defeat of the AFC Women’s Champions League, falling 2–0 to Wuhan Jiangda, the reigning champions who displayed their experience and attacking quality. The Moshal girls will now look to regroup and address their attacking struggles as the continental campaign continues. They have the next match on 23 November against Uzbekistan side Nasaf Qarshi, who held Wuhan Jiangda FC to a one-all draw in their opening match.
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