IWL: Fazila Ikwaput puts four past Sethu FC as Gokulam Kerala makes it four in four

Ugandan striker Fazila Ikwaput played havoc as Gokulam Kerala registered their fourth consecutive win routing Sethu FC 4-1 in the concluding match of round xix at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Friday. 

Fazila’s four-goal blitz was too much to handle for the home team, who could do little to curb the brilliance of the Ugandan, who took her tally of goals to 14 from six matches in the current campaign.

This, incidentally, was her third hat-trick of the season.

The result maintained Gokulam’s unbeaten record in the season and took them to 14 points, one behind current leaders East Bengal.

Sethu FC remained on 10 points from six matches. 

In a blistering opening period of play, Gokulam Kerala hit Sethu FC with a double whammy, ten minutes apart.

In the first instance, in the 10th minute, a long ball from Asem Roja Devi saw Fazila Ikwaput beat Khambi Chanu to the ball and finish to give the visitors the lead. 

The second arrived similarly 10 minutes later, this time Roja’s through ball splitting through the Sethu defense for Fazila to run through and slide a side-footed finish in the far corner. 

Five minutes after that second goal, they halved the deficit, Phanjoubam Nirmala Devi curling the ball into goal straight from a corner to score.

The hosts carried their momentum into the second half and kept knocking at the door, without ever actually managing to get the elusive equaliser.

Gokulam duly capitalised on the misses, Fazila completing her third hat trick of the season on the hour mark, a long ball again the source of Sethu’s doom.

Fazila added a fourth to her and the team’s tally in the 88th minute. Having picked up the ball inside the left channel in the box, the forward let fly despite the tight angle beating Khambi Chanu at the near post.

Odisha and Kickstart play out a 1-1 draw

Earlier in the day, defending champions Odisha FC managed to snatch a 1-1 draw against a winless Kickstart FC at the Bangalore Football Stadium. 

The visitors neutralised Ugandan Joanitah Ainembazi’s 70th minute goal for Kickstart FC with a stunning late equaliser from Lynda Kom, denying the home side their first win of the season.

Kickstart FC, despite their energetic and creative play, remained in the seventh spot in the standings with just three points after six matches.

They displayed a dominant performance throughout the game but were let down by their finishing and the brilliance of Lynda Kom’s strike.

The draw added a point for Odisha FC, keeping them in third place.

They now stand with 11 points from six games, trailing leaders East Bengal and second-placed Gokulam Kerala.