Gokulam Kerala extend dominating run, Arrows, Odisha Sport win in IWL

The Malabarians also took to their winning run to five matched and remain on top.

Gokulam Kerala FC handed an 8-0 thrashing to Mata Rukmani FC to bag the three points in the Indian Women’s League (IWL) on Sunday, May 1, 2022, at the Capital Stadium in Bhubaneswar. A hat-trick from Gokulam’s Ghanian striker Elshaddai Acheampong within the first half ensured Gokulam’s unbeaten run in the competition to extend their winning streak to five matches.

Gokulam made a dominant start to the game with Manisha finding the net as soon as the 3rd minute. It was a corner from Dalima Chhibber that Manisha tapped in perfectly. 

After the first quarter, the Malabarian side finally took over the game as they increased the lead to 3-0 with back-to-back goals from Soumya Guguloth and Elshaddai in the 17th and 19th minutes, respectively.

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Things became a bit too tough for Mata Rukmani as Gokulam continued to maintain complete dominance in the game. In the 25th minute, a shot from outside the box landed at Elshaddai’s feet, as she made no mistake in sending it to the back of the net, making it 4-0. Minutes later, the Ghanain scored one more goal in the 28th minute to complete her hat-trick. 

The Mata Rukmani custodian made some good saves, but it was not enough to stop the goals. Soumya made it a brace for herself within the 39th minute. She headed the ball perfectly from a sharp cross by Dalima, making it 6-0 for Gokulam, going into the breather. 

After the half-time break, Mata Rukmani seemed to be better as they came up with a resilient show at the back. Custodian Meena Kashyap made some brilliant saves to keep her side from conceding more goals. However, substitute Manasa finally broke the resistance, increasing the lead to 7-0 in the 66th minute.

Mata Rukmani got a few chances to pull one back but failed to utilise them and it turned out to be one more clean sheet for the Gokulam defence.

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Finally, in the 85th minute, Jyoti put in the final nail as she went past the Mata Rukamani defence with tremendous pace, finding the top corner at the end of her run. After this 8-0 win Gokulam Kerala remain at the top of the table with a five-match winning streak in the IWL.

Indian Arrows beat SSB Women

AIFF’s developmental side Indian Arrows earned a comfortable 2-0 victory against SSB Women FC at the 7th Battalion Ground in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, May 1, 2022, in the Indian Women’s League (IWL).

Winger Sunita Munda and striker Apurna Narzary were the two scorers for the Arrows in the second half, with the latter bagging the Hero of the Match award at the end.

The first half turned out to be a tactical fight as neither team was able to find the back of the net. Both the sides created a plethora of chances but failed to find the target, as the score remained goalless at the breather. 

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It was Arrows who came closest in finding the back of the net in the first half. But the SSB custodian Manju made it tough for the Young Tigresses, making sure that nothing went past her.

The Arrows came out with much fervour in the second half and immediately mounted wave after wave of attacks along both flanks. The deadlock was finally broken in the 51st minute, as Sunita Munda, who was set through on goal by Apurna Narzary, slipped it beneath the onrushing Manju’s hand to put the Arrows in the lead.

Apurna Narzary doubled the lead just a few minutes later, when she was sent through behind the defence. Though under challenge by Sumitra Marandi, the Arrows captain showed great composure to maintain possession of the ball inside the SSB penalty box and slot it home from a tight angle.

SSB mounted a number of attacks, keeping long bouts of possession in the Arrows half in the latter exchanges of the game, but the Arrows defence stood firm and held on to their two-goal lead. The Indian Arrows thus took their points tally to 10 from five matches in the IWL so far, after a strong second-half performance against SSB Women FC.

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Odisha Sports register second consecutive win

Odisha Sports registered a routine 3-0 win over PIFA Sports at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, May 1, 2022, to register their second straight win in the Hero Indian Women’s League.

The local side took the lead in the 14th minute of the game. Jasoda Munda attempted a cross from the right flank, but the ball changed the trajectory midway through the air. PIFA Sports goalkeeper Anjali Barke fumbled it and the ball ended up straight into the goal.

The two sides were evenly matched in terms of ball possession in the first half. However, Odisha Sports had three out of their 11 shots on target against PIFA Sports’ none. 

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At the hour mark, Odisha Sports earned a corner, which was subsequently taken by goalscorer Munda. Her cross was well-connected by Pyari Xaxa from inside the box. The attempt was blocked by Barke, but Subhadra Sahoo followed through quickly to turn the ball in, making it 2-0 for Odisha Sports.

The defender scored another one immediately in the 65th minute after another error from Barke led to Xaxa winning possession in a dangerous area. The forward passed the ball to Sahoo, who struck well from outside the box to make it 3-0 and put the game to bed.

The win ensures a decent start to the season for Odisha Sports with three wins from five games, moving up to the third spot on the IWL table.

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