The Indian Women’s League (IWL) Round 5 concluded with a 0-0 tie between Gokulam Kerala FC and Kickstart FC. While Sports Odisha FC hasn’t registered a win or a draw in five games this season, Odisha FC and Kickstart FC are still unbeaten. Let’s look back at a few moments from each game as another round of action comes to an end.
Odisha FC defeat HOPS FC to continue their winning run
At the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha FC and HOPS FC faced off in the opening match of Round 5. HOPS FC entered the game having defeated East Bengal FC in the previous match-week to record their first victory of the season. Conversely, Odisha FC came into the match having won all of their last three matches. In the end, Odisha triumphed 1-0 with ease. The only goal of the match was scored by Pyari Xaxa. Odisha FC extended their lead to two points at the top of the league table.
Odisha now has four wins in a row scoring eight goals, which is the second highest in the league, after this victory. They have now gone undefeated in nine IWL group stage matches; their most recent setback was in IWL 2022–2023 against Kickstart FC. By not conceding a goal in this IWL campaign thus far, Crispin Chhetri’s team has demonstrated incredible defensive play. HOPS FC’s dismal start to the season continues as they are currently sitting second from the bottom in the league standings after suffering three defeats in their opening four games.
Sports Odisha’s horrible start to the campaign continues
In the round’s second match, Sethu FC defeated Sports Odisha FC 1-0. Kaviya Pakkirisamy scored a spectacular header early in the second half to earn Sethu FC all three points after an evenly contested first half. Sethu FC would be happy to get back to winning ways following their loss to Odisha FC in the previous round.
Sporting Odisha, on the other side, entered the match looking for a turnaround following their abysmal 8-0 loss to Gokulam Kerala FC in the previous round. However, their dismal start to the season persisted. They have now conceded 17 goals, averaging more than three goals per game, in their five losses thus far in this IWL campaign. They have only scored once in more than 450 minutes, which raises questions about their attack as well.
Read – Hero IWL – Round 4 Checkpoint
Gokulam Kerala FC, Kickstart FC play out a goalless draw
At the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode, Gokulam Kerala FC played Kickstart FC in the round’s final match. The 2022–23 IWL finals saw these two teams against one another. The Malabarians won 5-0 to take home their third straight trophy, easily defeating Kickstart FC. Gokulam Kerala FC entered this match fresh off an impressive 8-0 victory against Sporting Odisha FC. On the other side, Kickstart FC came into the encounter undefeated, winning all three of their first three games. However, neither team was able to find the back of the net, and the game concluded in a goalless tie.
As for Gokulam Kerala FC, a victory would have moved them up to the second position in the league standings. But Kickstart FC held their nerves to retain the second spot. Although his team performed well defensively, Anthony Andrews will be concerned about his team’s efficiency in front of goal. This season, they have scored nine goals, however, eight of them were scored in a single match, against Sports Odisha. They have only managed to score only one goal in three games other than that encounter. They might want to add some more attackers to their lineup while the January transfer window is still open.
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