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After an intense final day face-off against Sethu FC in the Indian Women's League 2021-22 season, Gokulam Kerala FC conquered their second consecutive title last month. In the virtual title decider, the Madurai-based club scored early before the Malabarians rallied back to win 3-1 and conquer the IWL crown.
Gokulam full-back Dalima Chhibber underlined in a press conference on Friday that the title race boiling down to the final day of the season showed the kind of growth that women's football has had in recent years.
In response to a Sportskeeda query, the 24-year-old defender said that it wasn't just Sethu FC who posed a threat to Gokulam Kerala's unbeaten run, even the likes of Kickstart FC and the Indian Arrows even had a considerable role to play.
"Yes, as this shows the kind of competition there was in the league. I wouldn't say it was only the game against Sethu FC that was tough. Indian Arrows, Kickstart FC, SSB Women FC, and even ARA FC gave us a tough fight. At the same time, some of the teams we thought were very strong lost to teams who weren't of the same strength. This shows how women's football is getting more exciting in India," Chhibber averred.
Asked by Sportskeeda if the nail-biting battle for silverware had highlighted the need to have a prolonged, full-fledged IWL, Dalima stated:
"The title decider going into the final day just defined the growth and talent of women's football in India. But if the league expands in the future we'll see a lot more development, it will just get better as more girls get an opportunity to develop. So with a longer league, we will hopefully have a lot more nail-bitting matches."
"It's easy to be complacent when you have the best team on paper" - Gokulam Kerala FC custodian Aditi Chauhan
Right from pre-season, GKFC were one of the favourites to win the IWL title yet again. The Calicut-based team has some of the biggest talents in Indian football, namely Manisha Kalyan, skipper Ashalata Devi, Dangmei Grace and many more.
Hence, facing clubs in the IWL who were playing with youngsters or just developmental players, there was no doubt that Gokulam Kerala were the clear favorites on paper.
But when you come into the tournament as the reigning champions and are still favorites to regain the title, there's a scope of complacency creeping in.
Did the same happen for Gokulam at any stage?
"It's easy to be complacent when you have the best team on paper. But that wasn't really the case. But I'm glad each of our players were professional. Each player acknowledged their role on the pitch and even off it," GKFC goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan opined.
As Aditi said, all the players played their roles to a tee and it showed. Gokulam Kerala dominated the IWL from start to finish, racking up a goal difference of 62 on their way to the title.
They hammered teams by margins of 7-1, 5-1 or even 12-0. Gokulam were ruthless and that eventually gave them the edge over Sethu FC, who couldn't kill the tie even after pulling ahead.
