KOLKATA: Sethu FC returned to winning ways with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Sribhumi FC in an Indian Women’s League (IWL) fixture at the Kalyani Stadium on Tuesday, a result that lifted the side to second place on the table.
Forward Lynda Kom Serto was the star of the evening, scoring a hat-trick (10’, 18’, 90+5’) while Abigail Antwi (46’) added one more for Sethu. Substitute Karishma Shirvoikar struck twice (50’, 87’) to keep Sribhumi in the contest, but the Kolkata side eventually slipped to their first defeat of the campaign.
Sethu came into the match under pressure after collecting just one point from their previous two outings and began on the front foot. Lynda Kom capitalised on a goalkeeping lapse early on before doubling the lead with a neat finish at the near post. Sribhumi created chances of their own but Sethu goalkeeper Anjila Subba produced important saves to preserve the advantage at half-time.
Sethu extended their lead moments after the restart when Lynda cushioned a header into the path of Antwi, who finished from close range. Sribhumi responded immediately, with Karishma pulling one back following a goalmouth scramble, and later added her second as the hosts pushed hard in the closing stages.
Sribhumi continued to press for an equaliser, but Sethu remained composed on the counter. Deep into stoppage time, Lynda broke free again and was brought down inside the box, converting the resulting penalty to seal her hat-trick and the points.
The win takes Sethu to seven points from four matches, while Sribhumi drop to third with six points from three games but remain firmly in the top-end mix of the IWL standings.
Fazila, Soumya help East Bengal thrash Sesa
East Bengal FC earned their biggest-ever win in the Indian Women’s League as they beat Sesa Football Academy 9-0 on Tuesday.
Fazila Ikwaput (9′, 22′, 25′, 72′) and Soumya Guguloth (6′, 54′, 86′) netted a hat-trick each, with the former scoring four. Sulanjana Raul (17’) and Resty Nanziri (40’) also contributed a goal each as newly-promoted Sesa Football Academy succumbed to their heaviest-ever defeat in the national leagues.
As a result, defending champion East Bengal rose to the second spot with a perfect record of nine points in three games so far. The Moshal Girls have a game in hand over leaders Nita FA, who have 10 points. On the other hand, Sesa FA remained at the bottom with no points in four games.