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Gokulam Kerala FC, despite being a player down, beat Odisha FC 3-0 on penalties in the Indian Women's League (IWL) quarter-finals at the TransStadia on Tuesday, May 16. The reigning champions were trailing early on but roared back to equalize and send the tie into the lottery of penalties.
Coming into the tie, the Malabarians had emerged as Group A toppers with 19 points while Odisha FC finished third in Group B with 16 points. Given the talent on display, it was expected to be a tightly-contested affair.
However, in the second minute itself, Anju Tamang delivered a peach of a corner from the left and Bala Devi rose above the rest to get a sweet connection on the ball. Gokulam custodian Beatrice Nketia made a meal of the effort, which crept into the net, handing the Kalinga Warriors an early lead.
Throughout the rest of the half, the tie was a tactical battle in the middle of the park, with both teams being exceedingly cautious. It seemed like Odisha FC would go into the break with a narrow 1-0 lead.
But just before the half-time whistle, Savitra Bhandari whipped in a glorious curling ball to cut open Odisha FC's defense. Although the initial attempt by Sandhiya Ranganathan was blocked, the Juggernauts failed to clear their lines as Roja Devi tucked home the equalizer.
After the half-time break, Gokulam were dealt with a massive blow when Ranjana Chanu was shown a second yellow. Down to 10 players, the Malabarians were pegged back by Odisha FC for the majority of the second half. But the defending champions continued to threaten the opposition on the break. Savitra Bhandari made a marauding run into the box but unfortunately struck the outside of the post.
Despite the on-field advantage, Crespi Chhetri's side couldn't trouble the Odisha defense and ultimately the game rolled into penalties.
A shot-stopping masterclass by Beatrice handed Gokulam the win and they will now face Kickstart FC in the semi-finals.
Apurna Narzary's six goals power Sethu FC into the IWL semi-finals past a hapless East Bengal side
Sethu FC hammered IWL debutants East Bengal FC 9-0 in the quarter-finals at the Shahibaug Police Stadium to secure a berth in the semi-finals. Apurna Narzary starred for the Madurai side with a double hattrick to her name.
Coming into the match, the Tamil Nadu-based side finished their group-stage campaign at the summit of Group B. Meanwhile, the Kolkata giants had delivered a solid debut season, finishing in third place in Group A after a 1-0 win over HOPS FC.
Right in the 13th minute, a cross was drilled in from the right by Priyadharshini S into the opposition box. A dummy from Kajol D'souza stunned the East Bengal defense and Apurna calmly tucked the ball home from the center of the box.
It was all Sethu in possession as the Moshal Girls lacked any control in the middle of the park. Soon enough Apurna doubled her side's lead when she tucked home a cross from Priyadharshini S in the 21st minute.
More misery awaited the Kolkata giants as Ratna Halder was sloppy on possession near his own box and was dispossessed immediately by Kajol. The Sethu forward buried the ball into the top corner with a thunderous strike.
Before the half-time whistle, Priyangka Devi added a fourth after East Bengal shot-stopper Melody Chanu parried away the initial effort from Priyadharshini.
Coming out after the break, the Madurai-based club made it 5-0 when Apurna Narzary expertly turned away a lay-off from Kajol into the back of the net.
For the Red and Gold Brigade, the best chance of the match arrived in the 70th minute when Rimpa Halder struck the post. However, with East Bengal threatening to pull a goal back, Sethu were once again switched on and Apurna scored her fourth and fifth goal of the night in quick succession.
In the second minute of injury time, Sethu's star 19-year-old forward added another goal to her tally before Ivy Atieno finally made it 9-0 for the night.
Sethu will now clash against Eastern Sporting Union in the sem-finals.
