The Indian Women’s League (IWL) title race is as intense as ever with just one round remaining, as Odisha FC moved up over Gokulam Kerala FC with a victory against East Bengal. While Kickstart FC pulled off a remarkable comeback to grab a point against Sethu FC, Sports Odisha’s dreadful season came to an end as the team finished bottom of the table without registering a single victory. We’ll look at some of the most significant moments from Round 13 of the IWL, including Susmita’s thunderous strike and Win Tun’s outstanding free-kick.
Sports Odisha ends season winless
At the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi, HOPS FC and Sports Odisha FC faced off in the opening game of IWL Round 13. Sports Odisha had not won a game this season coming into this one, and HOPS FC was coming off a defeat to Odisha FC. HOPS FC was heading for a mid-table finish, while Sports Odisha appeared to be headed for a bottom-of-the-table finish. Courtesy to a goal by Pooja in the 32nd minute, HOPS FC emerged victorious in the match, winning 1-0. Pooja took full advantage of the confusion caused by Sports Odisha’s defense as both the goalie and the defenders failed to clear their lines, gifting Pooja an open goal.
Sports Odisha has not won a game all season, and this defeat brings an end to their wretched campaign. They qualified for the quarterfinals and finished second in their group last year, having an incredible season. After that, there were great hopes from Paromita Sit’s team heading into this season, but they have utterly failed to live up to the standards they set before. In terms of results, HOPS FC’s season has been very inconsistent. They would be aiming to finish fourth by defeating Sethu FC in their next and final match of their campaign.
Kickstart FC came back from two goals behind to secure a draw
At Bangalore Football Stadium, Kickstart FC and Sethu FC competed in the round’s second encounter. Sethu FC had a strong start, scoring twice in the first four minutes to take an early two-goal lead. Babina gave the visitors the lead with a fantastic right-footed goal from the edge of the box to open the scoring. The second goal was added by Kaviya, who scored from the far post after the Sethu FC players failed to clear their lines. Kaviya scored her fifth goal of this season with this. The visitors led 2-0 at the end of the first half.
Although it appeared as though Sethu FC would win easily, Kickstart FC produced a remarkable comeback to salvage a point from the match. In the 78th minute, Banti Sharma gave the home team a response with roughly 15 minutes remaining. A few minutes later, Susmita Jadhav netted a spectacular long-range goal from around 30 to 35 yards out to level the score for the home team. The home team controlled the game in terms of possession and opportunities created, despite Sethu having a good start. The score was 2-2 at the final whistle.
Kickstart’s chances of winning the league title have ended with this draw. The team from Bangalore, who lost in last season’s finale, is now set to finish third. They had been leading the rankings for a few weeks initially, but they were unable to fight the challenges from Gokulam Kerala and Odisha FC. Regarding Sethu, the former champions had a very poor season relative to the high standards they had set for themselves in previous years. With a game against HOPS FC to decide fourth place, they are set for a mid-table finish.
Read: I-League 2023/24 – Matchweek 21 Review
Odisha FC edges closer to maiden IWL triumph
At the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha FC faced East Bengal FC in the round’s last match. With a game in hand, Odisha FC trailed the reigning champions Gokulam Kerala FC by just one point in the league standings heading into the match. To maintain their prospects of winning their first IWL championship, the Juggernauts needed to win this game in every way possible. With nothing more to play for but pride, East Bengal FC entered the match ranked second from the bottom.
Despite Odisha FC’s dominance for the majority of the half, the first half finished goalless. In the seventieth minute, Indumathi Kathiresan broke the deadlock with a cheeky left-footed finish from an extremely tight angle. East Bengal can only blame their own defenders for the goal, who failed to clear their lines in a style reminiscent of schoolgirl defending. Win Theingi Tun, who has scored the most goals for Odisha this season, added a second goal in stoppage time with an excellent free kick that was taken from around 30 yards out. The home team came out on top 2-0 in the encounter.
With one game remaining, Odisha FC currently leads Gokulam Kerala FC by two points at the top of the standings with 28 points from 11 games. Due to their superior head-to-head goal differential over Gokulam Kerala FC, the Juggernauts will be able to secure their first IWL title with even a draw in their next match. In front of the home crowd at Kalinga Stadium, they will play Kickstart FC in their upcoming match, where they will have the chance to win their first league title. East Bengal FC will play Gokulam Kerala FC in their upcoming match, and they will be looking to win to cap off their terrible season.
Follow IFTWC for more updates on Indian Football.
