Sribhumi FC 1 (Queenable Akousa Amankrah 38′)
lost to
Gokulam Kerala FC 5 (Fazila Ikwaput 1′, 41′, 56′, 72′, Shubhangi Singh 43′)

AIFF Media Team

KOLKATA: Gokulam Kerala FC finally earned their first win of the 2024-25 Indian Women’s League with a 5-1 rout of newly-promoted Sribhumi FC in a Round Three tie at the Bibhutibhusan Stadium on Monday, January 20, 2025.

Ugandan striker Fazila Ikwaput, who won last season’s Golden Boot, ran the show with four goals and took the lead in the goalscoring charts for this season as well. Fazila now has seven goals in three matches. The 17-second opener made history as the fastest goal in IWL history.

As a result, Gokulam Kerala climbed to second place for the time being with five points – a win and two draws now. Sribhumi, on the other hand, are rooted at the bottom with three losses in three.

Fazila’s opening goal in 17 seconds was the result of a beautiful finishing touch. As she raced towards the goal, Sribhumi goalkeeper Moirangthem Monalisha Devi rushed out to close her down, but the Ugandan smartly caressed the ball on the half-volley to dink it over the line.

The striker always had an eye for the goal, taking multiple shots from distance in the first half, including a 30-yard free-kick that landed straight at Monalisha. Sribhumi’s first real chance came in the 23rd minute when Rimpa Haldar rattled the crossbar from 20 yards out.

Finally, the equaliser, and also Sribhumi’s first goal of the IWL season, arrived somewhat against the run of play in the 38th minute. Mini Roy’s curling free-kick delivery was spilled by Payal Basude, and Ngangom Bala Devi was the quickest to react. The captain improvised an overhead kick across the six-yard box which was headed home from point-blank range by Ghana’s Queenable Akousa Amankrah.

But the joy only lasted for three minutes as Fazila put Gokulam ahead again. She was played through on goal by Kenya’s Catherine Amo Aringo but was initially denied by Monalisha in a one-on-one situation. However, fortunately for Fazila, the rebound fell to her feet and she was able to slot it home.

Shubhangi Singh piled further misery on the hosts with a third Gokulam goal, an eye-catching strike from near the touchline, in the 43rd minute. Seeing Monalisha off her line, Shubhangi went for a right-footed shot from more than 40 yards out that perfectly dropped under the crossbar.

The Fazila show continued in the second half, although she was somewhat lucky for the hat-trick goal. While attempting to clear a Muskan Subba cross from the right, Mini hit it straight at Fazila and the ball rebounded into the back of the net before anyone could blink an eye. It was the Ugandan’s fourth hat-trick in IWL history, almost seven years after her first one – she scored five goals for the Malabarians against Indira Gandhi AS&E in 2018.

But there was no fortune involved in Gokulam’s fifth goal – another well-oiled connection between Catherine and Fazila. Once again, the Kenyan picked out the Ugandan with an over-the-top pass, and Fazila showed good composure to lob the ball over Monalisha to complete the rout.