Gokulam Kerala FC 0
lost to
East Bengal FC 3 (Fazila Ikwaput 36′, Resty Nanziri 55′, Sulanjana Raul 76′)
AIFF Media Team
KALYANI: East Bengal FC finished the first phase of the Indian Women’s League 2025-26 with a perfect record of 18 points after a 3-0 win over former champions Gokulam Kerala FC at the Kalyani Stadium in Kalyani on Friday, January 9, 2026.
It was a battle between the winners and runners-up from last season, and it ended with East Bengal taking another step in their quest to become only the second team in IWL history to win back-to-back titles. The only team to defend their title so far are Gokulam Kerala, but they find themselves in an unwanted relegation battle this season after just one win in seven games.
Fazila Ikwaput, who netted a hat-trick for Gokulam against East Bengal last season, opened the scoring for the Moshal Girls in the 35th minute before strikes from Resty Nanziri (55′) and Sulanjana Raul (76′) ensured three more points for Anthony Andrews’ side.
With six wins in six, East Bengal are two points ahead of second-placed Sethu FC, who defeated Garhwal United FC 4-1. East Bengal also have a game in hand as their fixture against Sribhumi FC was postponed due to their commitments in the SAFF Women’s Club Championship. That match will be accommodated in the league’s second phase, which is scheduled to begin in April following the conclusion of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup.
Gokulam Kerala, meanwhile, are in sixth place with seven points, only one above Kickstart FC in the relegation zone.
East Bengal were averaging more than six goals a game in the last three matches, but Gokulam Kerala weren’t total pushovers on Friday afternoon. To their credit, the Malabarians were defensively sharp and confident in the opening half an hour, and the Moshal Girls didn’t have an easy job carving out opportunities.
On the flip side, East Bengal lost their leader and defender Sweety Devi Ngangbam to a knee injury after 15 minutes. She was replaced by veteran Ashalata Devi Loitongbam, who went on to play a big role in East Bengal’s win.
It was the 32-year-old’s long ball that created the first real chance for Anthony Andrews’ side. The measured delivery landed at the feet of Fazila Ikwaput, who struck a powerful shot on the turn, but Shreya Hooda was equal to it in the Gokulam Kerala goal. Around the half-hour mark, Abena Anoma Opoku ventured forward from defence and sent a long-range strike from 25 yards sailing over the crossbar.
East Bengal’s opening goal finally arrived in the 36th minute, and unsurprisingly, it was another aerial delivery that unlocked the Malabarians’ defence. Ashalata’s diagonal ball picked out Astam Oraon at the far post. The 20-year-old unselfishly cut it back for Fazila, who scored with a first-time finish. Shreya got a hand on the ball but was unable to keep it out.
However, the Gokulam goalkeeper should have saved the shot in the 55th minute that led to East Bengal’s second goal. Once more, it was an Ashalata delivery, this time from a corner, that created havoc in the Malabarians’ box. They failed to deal with it, and an unmarked Resty Nanziri guided it towards goal with a side-footed shot that went straight at Shreya. What should’ve been a routine save was fumbled, and the ball crept over the line. It took a while, but East Bengal were now in full control.
Things went from bad to worse for Shreya, who committed another howler to concede her third goal of the game in the 76th minute. Sulanjana Raul, picked out by Sarita Yumnam’s cross from the right, headed the ball directly at Shreya. She attempted to catch it, but the ball slipped through her hands and went in.
Shreya did redeem herself to an extent by making a one-on-one save to deny Fazila’s second and East Bengal’s fourth of the afternoon in the 79th minute, but it was a mere consolation that prevented Gokulam Kerala’s joint-heaviest defeat of the campaign.
