Fazila Ikwaput's stoppage-time winner gives East Bengal a winning start to the IWL

East Bengal began their Indian Women's League title defence with a dramatic 1-0 win over Gokulam Kerala in the season opener at Kalyani Stadium on Friday. Ugandan forward Fazila Ikwaput scored the only goal in the second minute of added time, finishing past goalkeeper Shreya Hooda after being played through by Rimpa Haldar. The three-time former champions Gokulam had held the defending champions scoreless until stoppage time, with Hooda named player of the match despite the defeat.

The win gives East Bengal three points from the opening match of the tenth edition of the league, which is being played in Kalyani. The action continues on Saturday, when Kickstart FC face Sethu FC at the same venue. East Bengal are two-time defending champions, having won the last two editions in 2024-25 and 2025-26, and are aiming to become the first club to win three consecutive IWL titles. They are coached by Anthony Andrews and captained by Shilky Devi Hemam.

The tenth edition features eight clubs in a double round-robin, with 56 matches in all and each team playing 14. The season runs until 23 January 2027, moving from Kalyani to Jamshedpur and then Bengaluru. The champions earn a place in the AFC Women's Champions League, while the bottom two clubs are relegated to IWL 2. HOPS FC and Juba Sangha FC joined the top flight this season after promotion from IWL 2.