East Bengal tops table as IWL Phase 1 concludes

East Bengal FC finished the first phase of the Indian Women’s League 2025-26 with a perfect record of 18 points after a 3-0 win over former champions Gokulam Kerala FC at the Kalyani Stadium in Kalyani on Friday

It was a battle between the winners and runners-up from last season, and it ended with East Bengal taking another step in their quest to become only the second team in IWL history to win back-to-back titles. The only team to defend their title so far are Gokulam Kerala, but they find themselves in an unwanted relegation battle this season after just one win in seven games.

Fazila Ikwaput opened the scoring for the Moshal Girls in the 35th minute before strikes from Resty Nanziri (55′) and Sulanjana Raul (76′) ensured three more points for Anthony Andrews’ side.

With six wins in six, East Bengal are two points ahead of second-placed Sethu FC, who defeated Garhwal United FC 4-1.

East Bengal also have a game in hand as their fixture against Sribhumi FC was postponed due to their commitments in the SAFF Women’s Club Championship. That match will be accommodated in the league’s second phase, which is scheduled to begin in April following the conclusion of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup.

Gokulam Kerala, meanwhile, are in sixth place with seven points, only one above Kickstart FC in the relegation zone.

Sethu surge in second half to defeat Garhwal United

There was no slowing down Sethu FC as the Madurai-based side powered their way to a 4-1 victory against Garhwal United FC at the National Centre of Excellence in Kolkata.

Dhurga P broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute, Malavika P doubled the advantage in the 60th, and Lynda Kom Serto struck again in the 62nd for her eighth goal of the campaign. Nirmala Devi Phanjoubam added a stunning fourth in the 74th minute, before Esther Tingjoukim pulled one back for Garhwal United in the 82nd.

The result marked Sethu’s fourth straight win and extended their unbeaten run to five matches, keeping them firmly in second place with 16 points from seven games. Garhwal United, meanwhile, suffered their fourth loss in the tournament and are eighth in the standings as the first phase of the league drew to a close.

Emem hat-trick powers Kickstart to victory over Sesa

Kickstart FC earned only their second victory, defeating Sesa Football Academy 3-1 at the National Centre of Excellence in Kolkata.

Nigerian forward Emem Peace Essien (2’, 61’, 90+3’) netted a hat-trick to earn the victory for Kickstart, while Sesa FA captain Aniela Barretto (17’) scored one. Though both teams remain in the relegation zone, Kickstart are just a point behind Gokulam Kerala at sixth, and have given themselves a good chance to avoid relegation in Phase 2 of the competition. Sesa, on the other hand, have just one point from their seven matches and are still searching for their first top-flight win.

Nita down battling Sribhumi in exciting finish

Nita Football Academy got the better of Sribhumi Football Club 3-2 as Pyari Xaxa headed home the winner in the final minute of regulation time in Kalyani.

An own goal by Sribhumi’s Karishma Shirvoikar gave Nita FA the lead in the 25th minute. But Anju Tamang restored parity in the second minute of injury time of the first half. Pyari Xaxa put Nita FA ahead five minutes after the restart, only for Karishma level the scores in the 67th minute. Just as the match seemed headed for a draw, Pyari Xaxa rose to head home her 10th goal of the tournament as Nita FA stunned their rivals to win 3-2 eventually.

Nita FA took their points tally to 13 from seven matches, having won four, drawn one and lost two. Sribhumi FC remained on nine from six matches, having won three and lost as many as well.