Defending champions East Bengal FC produced a ruthless display to register their biggest-ever victory in the Indian Women’s League, thrashing Sesa Football Academy 9–0 at the Kalyani Stadium on Tuesday.
In a round packed with goals, fine margins and early-season statement performances, the Moshal Girls’ demolition job stood out as a clear marker of intent.
East Bengal wasted no time in asserting dominance. Soumya Guguloth opened the scoring in the sixth minute, setting the tone for a one-sided contest. Fazila Ikwaput followed soon after, striking in the ninth minute, before the floodgates opened. The Ugandan forward was virtually unplayable on the night, scoring four goals (9’, 22’, 25’, 72’) and repeatedly tearing through Sesa’s defensive structure with her movement and finishing.
Soumya completed her hat-trick with goals in the 54th and 86th minutes, while Sulanjana Raul (17’) and Resty Nanziri (40’) also found the net as East Bengal piled on the pressure from start to finish. For newly-promoted Sesa Football Academy, it was a sobering introduction to life at the top level, as the 9–0 defeat became their heaviest loss across both the IWL and IWL 2 competitions.
The emphatic win lifted East Bengal to second place in the standings with a perfect nine points from three matches. Importantly, the champions still have a game in hand over leaders Nita Football Academy, who sit on 10 points. Sesa FA, meanwhile, remain rooted to the bottom of the table, yet to open their account after four games.
At the National Centre of Excellence in Kolkata, league leaders Nita FA continued their steady run with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Garhwal United FC. An early goal from Pyari Xaxa in the seventh minute proved decisive in a tightly contested encounter. The move showcased Nita’s efficiency: Neha drove down the left flank, muscling past Alka Indwar before delivering a precise cross that Pyari met with a clean first-time volley.
While Nita controlled large phases of the game, Garhwal United defended resolutely after the early setback and looked for opportunities on the counter. However, the equaliser never came, as Nita held firm to extend their unbeaten run to four matches, with three wins and a draw. Garhwal, on the other hand, suffered their second consecutive defeat and now sit on six points from four outings.
Earlier at Kalyani, Sethu FC were involved in a far more dramatic contest, edging past Sribhumi FC 4–2 in a game that swung back and forth. Lynda Kom Serto starred for Sethu with a hat-trick, scoring in the 10th, 18th and deep into stoppage time (90+5’ penalty). Abigail Antwi added another just after the break in the 46th minute.
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Sribhumi refused to go down quietly, with Karishma Purushottam Shirvoikar scoring twice (50’, 87’) to keep the contest alive until the final moments. Ultimately, Sethu’s greater composure in key phases saw them through, even if the performance was far from comfortable.
The day’s action concluded at the NCE ground, where three-time champions Gokulam Kerala FC finally opened their win column by defeating Kickstart FC of Bengaluru 1–0. Asem Roja Devi scored the decisive goal in the 52nd minute, giving Gokulam their first victory after two draws and a loss. The result lifted them to sixth in the table and could prove crucial as the season gathers momentum.
With Round 4 delivering everything from record-breaking wins to tense one-goal battles, the Indian Women’s League continues to underline its growing competitiveness. East Bengal’s statement performance has raised the bar, but with Nita FA maintaining consistency and several teams finding form, the early title narrative remains wide open.
