Indian football wrap, January 20: East Bengal, Gokulam Kerala win in IWL; Under-20 men to play friendlies in Indonesia
Indian football wrap, January 20: East Bengal, Gokulam Kerala win in IWL; Under-20 men to play friendlies in Indonesia
East Bengal FC put up yet another commanding performance to thrash Nita FA 4-1 in the Indian Women’s League (IWL) 2024-25 at the Capital Football Arena in Bhubaneswar on January 20.
Anju Tamang, Soumya Guguloth, Resty Nanziri and Sandhiya Ranganathan were the scorers for East Bengal while Ghanaian striker Gifty Acheampong reduced the margin for the hosts.
In the match between league leader East Bengal and the newly-promoted Nita FA, the Red and Gold Brigade showcased its superiority with a performance that underlined its credentials as one of the title-favourites.
The win helped East Bengal consolidate its position at the top of the table. It has won all its three matches to accumulate nine points. Nita FA remained second with four points from three games, including one win, one draw and one loss.
Gokulam Kerala FC finally earned its first win of IWL 2024-25 with a 5-1 rout of newly-promoted Sribhumi FC in a Round Three tie at the Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay Stadium in Barrackpore on January 20.
Ugandan striker Fazilia 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.
Fazilia 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.
The India U20 men’s team will participate in the Mandiri U20 Challenge Series 2025, a four-nation friendly tournament, in Indonesia from January 24 to 30, 2025.
Syria, Jordan and hosts Indonesia are the other teams.
Biby Thomas Muttath has been appointed as the coach, who, on Monday, named a 23-member squad consisting of 17 and 18-year-olds who are preparing for the SAFF U19 Championship to be held from May 8 to 18, 2025.
All three of India’s opponents are using the tournament to prepare for February’s AFC U20 Asian Cup (with players born in 2005).
India, which has been camping in Goa, will depart for Sidoarjo on Tuesday, January 21.
