HOPS FC 0
lost to
East Bengal FC 1 (Soumya Guguloth 40’)
AIFF Media Team
NEW DELHI: East Bengal shrugged off their defeat in the previous match to collect full points when they beat hosts HOPS FC 1-0 in the Indian Women’s League 2024-25 match at the Ambedkar Stadium, on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
The win helped East Bengal stay on the top of the table with 15 points from six matches. So far, they have won five and lost the only tie in the away encounter against former champions Gokulam Kerala FC. HOPS continue to languish at the bottom with just one point in their kitty from the drawn match against Kickstart FC in Bengaluru.
Ironically, the match hardly had any reflection of a battle between the league leaders and the bottom spooners. The majority of the proceeding was a listless affair with both teams indulging in some aimless play. While East Bengal, with a star studded line up, struggled in the middle to create the necessary space, HOPS were happy to withstand the storm at the back and make occasional raids on the counter.
In fact, the home side had an opportunity to walk home with a point at least had not they conceded a rather chance goal five minutes before the breather. It was a situation of sheer horror, for the HOPS FC bench at least. After successfully keeping the table toppers at bay for a considerably long time, the hosts found their fort breached with a goal that simply wasn’t there.
East Bengal striker Soumya Guguloth, a regular with the national team received a ball just inside a crowded HOPS box. She first failed to tap the ball with her left and then unleashed a side volley with her right that took a few drops before lazily rolling over the goalline. HOPS goalkeeper Jyoti Tumung failed to collect as it slipped through her hands.
The second half belonged to East Bengal, but that was all they could do about it. The Kolkata team camped themselves in the Delhi half and raided vigorously, but poor finishing and some good defending allowed HOPS to keep the margin of defeat to bare minimum.
East Bengal definitely lacked the rhythm they displayed in their earlier matches and missed opportunities they shouldn’t have. Shots fired by their strikers hit the post and flew over the crosspiece on more than one occasion, but never made the designated area.
