East Bengal FC continued their impressive form by securing their fifth consecutive win, decisively defeating Kickstart FC 5-0 at the Kalyani Stadium on Tuesday.
Match Highlights
- Fazila Ikwaput was the star of the match, scoring two goals in the 15th and 73rd minutes.
- Resty Nanziri (45+2’), Sulanjana Raul (60’), and Astam Oraon (62’) contributed one goal each.
- With this victory, East Bengal sits atop the table with 15 points from five matches, two points ahead of their nearest rivals, who still have a game in hand. Kickstart remains in the drop zone at seventh place, accumulating just three points from six matches.
From the very beginning, East Bengal dominated the game, seeking an early breakthrough. They achieved this in the 15th minute when Fazila was skillfully played through the Kickstart lines by Sulanjana. She deftly poked the ball past the goalkeeper, with it glancing off the upright before finding the back of the net.
The Moshal Girls doubled their lead just before half-time. Shilky Devi Hemam set up Fazila on the right, who then squared it for Resty. Resty faked out her marker, sending the ball into the net.
The second half continued in the same vein, with East Bengal exhibiting greater hunger and a sharper edge. Fazila, eager to add to her tally, took a powerful shot from outside the box that hit the crossbar and fell perfectly for Sulanjana to head in at the hour mark.
Just a couple of minutes later, Astam made it three, nodding in a precise cross from Shilky. Fazila capped off the scoring in the 73rd minute, receiving a through ball from Resty and finishing crisply at the near post.
East Bengal secured their maiden IWL title in the 2024-25 season by defeating Gokulam Kerala in the final. Gokulam Kerala remains the most successful club in the league, which began in the 2016-17 season, with Eastern Sporting Union being the inaugural champions. Gokulam clinched their first title in 2019-20, followed by victories in 2021-22 and 2022-23.