East Bengal climbed to the top spot of the SAFF Womens Club Championship standings and now are just a win away to book their place in the final of the tournament with a 2-0 win over Karachi City FC at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. In a contest defined by the Moshal Girls’ relentless pressing and control, clinical goals from Sulanjana and Resty proved decisive after a dominant display that saw East Bengal dictate play for most of the match.
The intent was clear from East Bengal, as they pressed the opposition defence from the very first minute. As a result, the first goal came within 5 minutes from Sulanjana Raul. The margin could’ve been increased but the Karachi defence was able to win duels in the final third.
In spite of this, the first clear chance of the game fell to Karachi City FC in the 3rd minute when Maysa Jbarah’s header missed the goal by whiskers. But after a couple of minutes Fazila Ikwaput’s picture perfect pass found Sulanjana and a shot from just outside the box resulted the first goal for the Red and Golds.
As the half progressed, the Moshal Girls grew into the game and enjoyed more possession of the ball. Karachi City FC struggled to contain East Bengal’s movement in midfield and wide areas, as the pressure continued to rise. Sulanjana was an absolute livewire from the left wing which kept most of the Karachi team in their own half. Deservingly, she was the player of the match against the Pakistani side. Also, the defence of East Bengal was solid as ever and crucial tackles from Abena Opoku and Sushmita Lepcha kept the star striker Maysa Jbarah silent all the time.
East Bengal piled on the pressure after the restart, increasing their lead in just four minutes into the second half. A mistake from Samia Ouni in the 49th minute, gave Resty Nanziri a chance to increase the lead and which she did eventually. Soumya Guguloth was sloppy on the wings but she tested Zeeyana Jivraj who remained sharp for most the match to keep the scoreline decent.
Shilky Devi Hemam had an outstanding match which added energy and creativity to the midfield. She was paired with Sathi Debnath who continues to impress having a new role in the midfield. Sushmita Lepcha returned to the starting XI and solidifies her place in the left back position with her all-round performance.
The match ended 2-0 in the favour of East Bengal and clearly East Bengal were the better side both in quality and experience. The Karachi coach, Adeel Mirza Rizki is a UEFA A Licensed holder but his counterpart Anthony Andrews showed why he and his side is one of the best in this circuit.
East Bengal will now turn their focus on their next match against Nasrin Sports Academy on December 14, a match that promises to test their attacking rhythm against one of the tournament’s most quality teams.
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