East Bengal Clinch IWL Title for Second Time with Dominant Win

East Bengal lift IWL trophy for the second time

Kolkata, May 19

At the National Centre of Excellence, Kickstart FC, Karnataka and Sethu FC played out a 1-1 draw, while Garhwal United FC secured a 3-1 win against Sesa Football Academy, according to a release.

While East Bengal had already secured the title with a match to spare, Garhwal United FC, with their win against Sesa, managed to avoid relegation. Sribhumi, meanwhile, will drop to IWL 2 alongwith Sesa FA next season.

Following the conclusion of the fixtures, East Bengal were presented with the trophy in the presence of Shri Kalyan Chaubey, President, All India Football Federation, Prince Rufus, FIFA Regional Office South Asia Lead, Debabrata Sarkar, Director, East Bengal FC, and Ajit Banerjee, President, Indian Football Association (WB).

Individual honours at the conclusion of the Indian Women's League 2025-26 season saw Fazila Ikwaput of East Bengal FC named Best Striker, while Nirmala Devi Phanjoubam of Sethu FC received the Best Defender award. Sanfida Nongrum of Garhwal United FC was adjudged the Best Midfielder, and Panthoi Chanu Elangbam of East Bengal FC won the Best Goalkeeper award.

*Sribhumi Football Club - 0East Bengal FC - 2 (Fazila Ikwaput 41' pen, Sulanjala Raul 55')*

East Bengal FC secured a 2-0 victory over Sribhumi Football Club in the Indian Women's League 2025-26 at the East Bengal Ground, thus condemning the latter to relegation.

The Moshal Girls made a bright start and nearly took the lead in the third minute when Resty Nanziri drove into the box and forced a save from Sarangthem Khambi Chanu. The rebound fell kindly for Fazila Ikwaput, but the league's leading scorer blazed her effort over the crossbar. Soumya Guguloth also came close in the 11th minute with a glancing header from a cross on the left, but failed to keep her attempt on target.

East Bengal dominated possession and territory for most of the opening half, although Sribhumi's disciplined defensive shape helped them withstand sustained pressure. The visitors created their first meaningful attack in the 37th minute when Rimpa Haldar surged forward and unleashed a shot from the edge of the box, forcing Elangbam Panthoi Chanu into a stretched save.

Karthika Angamuthu then struck the woodwork before East Bengal eventually broke the deadlock in the 41st minute. Angamuthu won a penalty after being brought down inside the box, and Ikwaput calmly converted from the spot to score her 20th league goal of the season. The Ugandan forward had also become the outright highest goalscorer in Indian Women's League history in the previous match after taking her tally to 61 goals, moving past Sabitra Bhandari's mark of 60.

East Bengal resumed the second half on the front foot, with Ikwaput trying her luck from distance shortly after the restart. The hosts doubled their advantage in the 55th minute when Angamuthu threaded a precise through ball into the box for Sulanjana Raul, who poked the ball past the goalkeeper.

The Kolkata side continued to control proceedings and kept Sribhumi pinned back for large spells, with the defence forced into constant action to deal with East Bengal's attacking pressure. Guguloth came close to adding a third in the 85th minute when her low strike from inside the box rattled the near post, before missing another opportunity in stoppage time.

Despite Sribhumi's defensive resilience in phases, East Bengal comfortably saw out the remainder of the contest to register a deserved 2-0 win. The celebrations continued after the final whistle as the players marked their title-winning campaign with the supporters, dancing with the fans while flares lit up the atmosphere at the East Bengal Ground.

Gokulam Kerala FC - 1 (Priyadharshini 9')Nita FA -1 (Pyari Xaxa 45+3')

Gokulam Kerala FC and Nita FA split the points after playing out a 1-1 draw in the Indian Women's League 2025-26 at the East Bengal Ground.

Nita FA made the more aggressive start and put the Gokulam defence under pressure early on, with skipper Pyari Xaxa making a couple of dangerous penetrations in the final third.

However, it was Gokulam who struck first in the ninth minute. Lourembam Menaka Devi picked out Priyadharshini's run inside the box with an excellent floated cross from the right flank, and the forward looped a first-time header over goalkeeper Adrija Sarkhel.

Nita responded well after conceding and dictated large phases of possession, especially in the attacking third, but struggled to create clear openings.

Menaka tried her luck from distance in the 19th minute but failed to hit the target, before Sussana Konadu's direct free-kick effort in the 22nd minute landed on the roof of the net.

Jasoda Munda and Elizabeth Katungwa Kioko both tested Sowmiya N later in the half, with the Gokulam goalkeeper producing important saves to preserve her side's advantage.

Nita finally found the equaliser in first-half stoppage time when Juli Kishan delivered a cross from the right, and Pyari headed the ball beyond Sowmiya despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to it.

Nita continued to push after the break and nearly went ahead in the 61st minute when Matilda Kwao burst into the box from the right, but her effort from a tight angle lacked the power to trouble Sowmiya, with Pyari left unmarked in a central position.

Both sides searched for a winner in the closing stages, but neither could find the decisive breakthrough.

Kickstart FC, Karnataka - 1 ( Emem Peace Essien 22', Sethu FC - 1 (T Hoshika 83')

Kickstart FC, Karnataka and Sethu FC shared the points after playing out a 1-1 draw in the Indian Women's League 2025-26 at the National Centre of Excellence.

Both sides showed attacking intent in the opening stages, with Kickstart pressing aggressively and preventing Sethu from comfortably building out from the back. However, the Tamil Nadu side also managed to stitch together a few promising moves in the final third.

The tempo gradually dipped as the half progressed, with the hot and humid conditions affecting the intensity of the contest.

Kickstart broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute through Emem Peace Essien. Th Babysana Devi delivered an aerial through ball towards the edge of the penalty area, and Essien produced a composed first-time lob over goalkeeper Anjila Tumbapo Subba.

The second half turned into a scrappy midfield battle, with neither side able to establish sustained control. Sethu skipper Malavika P looked lively on the right flank and delivered a couple of dangerous crosses into the box, but the movement from the forwards failed to match the quality of the deliveries.

With Kickstart focusing more on protecting their lead, Sethu began to enjoy greater attacking momentum as the game entered its final quarter. Their persistence paid off in the 83rd minute when T Hoshika brought down an aerial ball from midfield with excellent control before calmly slotting past Maibam Linthoingambi Devi to restore parity.

Neither side could carve out a decisive opening in the closing stages as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Sesa Football Academy - 1 (Sulekha Kanhar 36') Garhwal United FC - 3 (Lhingdeikim 27', Elizabeth Danso 39', Shruthi Kumari 59')

Garhwal United FC registered a 3-1 victory over Sesa Football Academy in the Indian Women's League 2025-26 at the National Centre of Excellence, to haul themselves out of the relegation zone on their debut season.

Both sides enjoyed promising spells in the attacking third during the opening stages, with neither team able to establish clear control of proceedings early in the first half. Garhwal eventually broke the deadlock in the 27th minute after a sustained spell of pressure. Shruti Kumari delivered a cross into the box from the left flank, and Lhingdeikim guided a deft first-time finish into the bottom-right corner.

Sesa responded quickly and restored parity eight minutes later. Jeewanti swung in a cross into the penalty area, and Sulekha Kanhar chest-controlled the ball past goalkeeper Ribansi Jamu to make it 1-1.

Garhwal regained the lead in the 39th minute following a defensive error from Sesa. An attempted back pass from Seema Kispotta fell kindly for Elizabeth Danso, who calmly rounded goalkeeper Anshika after racing into the box before curling an excellent finish into the top-right corner.

Garhwal nearly extended their advantage immediately after the restart when Lhingdeikim's cross from the right was met first time by Danso, but Anshika produced an excellent point-blank save to keep Sesa in the contest.

The third goal arrived in the 59th minute. Danso collected Monisha Singha's cross from the right flank and laid the ball off for Shruti Kumari, who rifled a first-time strike from outside the box into the back of the net.

Sesa attempted to push forward in search of a way back into the match, but struggled to create enough clear openings against a disciplined Garhwal defence. Their task became even more difficult in the 85th minute when Payel Layek was shown a red card.

Garhwal comfortably managed the closing stages thereafter to secure a deserved 3-1 win.

— ANI