Indian Football Wrap, March 15: Gokulam Kerala beats defending IWL champion Odisha FC 3-1

Indian Football Wrap, March 15: Gokulam Kerala beats defending IWL champion Odisha FC 3-1

Gokulam Kerala remains steadily in the hunt for the Indian Women’s League 2024-25 title, as it beat defending champion Odisha FC 3-1 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.

Fazila Ikwaput scored in either half to increase her goal tally to 15, while Juggernauts’ striker Pyari Xaxa scored an own goal. Substitute Neha scored for the host.

After starting off the season with two draws, Gokulam Kerala has pulled itself up marvellously, winning six matches on the trot, and is currently placed second on the table with 20 points from eight matches, just one behind East Bengal. Odisha, on the other hand, is third, with 11 points from eight outings.

East Bengal FC earned a solid 2-0 win over Kickstart FC to maintain its one-point lead at the top of the table.

Ashalata Devi began the scoring in the first half before Sulanjana Raul doubled the lead after the changeover to hand East Bengal the win. The Red and Golds, with this victory, maintain the status quo at the top of the table, where they have a one-point lead, with 21 points from eight matches.

Kickstart remains second from bottom with six points from eight games.

Kickstart was up against it right from the start, having registered just one win all season, the second-worst record in the league. EBFC opened the scoring in the 35th minute via Ashala Devi. The defender curled a freekick from the left side into the box, and the ball was perfectly directed towards the far corner. Linthoingambi was deceived by the flight as it nestled in the goal.

EBFC got its second goal in the 65th minute via Sulanjana Raul, who smartly headed in a cross from the right flank to consolidate the lead.

Dempo will look to take all three points when it hosts Churchill Brothers in the second version of the I-League’s currently oldest derby. There is an argument to be made that the reverse fixture, played at the end of last year was the one that broke Dempo’s high flying bubble and dropped into a deep slump, which it has only recently started to recover from.

After Churchill beat it in December, Dempo won just one of its next six and lost four in that stretch. Churchill, meanwhile, experienced an early year stumble and has since recovered to ensure it stays within reach of the top spot in the table.

Now the teams meet at a strange period in time, where both the teams, almost out of nowhere, are riding a scoring high. Between them, they have scored 14 goals in their last game and conceded twice.

Dempo will hope Wayde Lekay’s dip in form — just one goal, a penalty against Shillong Lajong in his last five — carries on, but hope isn’t all it must carry into the encounter. Even through its slump, Dempo’s goalkeeper Ashish Sibi emerged with a lot of credit, and in fact, in what is perhaps an unusual anomaly, saved both spot-kicks he has faced this season.

Published on Mar 15, 2025