KALYANI: East Bengal FC earned their biggest-ever win in the Indian Women’s League as they beat Sesa Football Academy 9-0 at the Kalyani Stadium in Kalyani, West Bengal, on Tuesday, December 30, 2025.
Fazila Ikwaput (9′, 22′, 25′, 72′) and Soumya Guguloth (6′, 54′, 86′) netted a hat-trick each, with the former scoring four. Sulanjana Raul (17’) and Resty Nanziri (40’) also contributed a goal each as newly-promoted Sesa Football Academy succumbed to their heaviest-ever defeat in the national leagues (IWL and IWL 2).
As a result, defending champions East Bengal rose to the second spot with a perfect record of nine points in three games so far. The Moshal Girls have a game in hand over leaders Nita FA, who have 10 points. On the other hand, Sesa FA remained at the bottom with no points in four games.
Fazila hitting the post in the second minute was the only piece of luck Sesa had against the Ugandan. The goalfest started soon, with left-back Sushmita Lepcha the creator of the first two.
In the sixth minute, she put in a low ball that looked harmless at first, but Sesa failed to make a simple clearance. It was picked up just outside the box by Soumya Guguloth, who beat a couple of pink shirts, swiftly turned to the right and lodged a right-footed shot past Beatrice Nketia in the Sesa goal.
Three minutes later, Sushmita launched a well-calculated long ball from the deep, with Fazila latching on to it and dinking it over Beatrice for her first and East Bengal’s second.
The Moshal Girls demonstrated equal prowess from the right flank too, creating the next two goals from winger Soumya and right-back Sarita Yumnam. In the 17th minute, Beatrice failed to collect Soumya’s cross as 18-year-old Sulanjana Raul thrashed home the loose ball from eight yards out to make it 3-0.
The fourth goal was a job of complete excellence, though. Sarita Yumnam lofted a first-time cross towards the far post for an onrushing Fazila, who nodded it downwards and into the net past a rooted Beatrice in the 22nd minute.
Just a quarter of the game had lapsed, and Fazila had already completed her hat-trick and netted East Bengal’s fifth. This time, the goal came through the middle. Captain Shilky Devi Hemam split Sesa’s surprising high-line defence and found the Ugandan, who had all the time in the world to go around Beatrice, her former teammate at Gokulam Kerala, and pass the ball into an empty net.
Sesa probably breathed some sigh of relief when they kept the reigning champions at bay for the next 15 minutes, but Resty Nanziri, who found ample space in the 40th minute, smashed it home for the sixth goal. The Ugandan midfielder carried the ball from the left flank, ignored all her teammates, evaded Janhabi Kishan’s challenge with ease, entered the box and fired into the far corner with the outside of her boot for a sensational goal – her first in this season’s IWL.
The script remained the same in the second half. East Bengal added a seventh in the 54th minute, capitalising on another Sushmita long ball for Fazila. The latter eased her way into the box from the left and squared it for an unmarked Soumya to score from point-blank range.
The over-the-top ball undid Sesa again in the 72nd minute when Shilky sent Fazila through one-on-one against the goalkeeper again. Very similar to her third goal, Fazila went around Beatrice and coolly slipped it into the net to add to her tally.
The scoring was wrapped up in the 86th minute by Soumya, who celebrated her first IWL hat-trick in East Bengal colours with great enthusiasm. It was a hat-trick of assists for Sushmita too, as she picked out Soumya in the box with an aerial ball. Soumya took a good first touch and fired into the roof of the net to make it 9-0.
