Kozhikode, Jan 26 Former champions Gokulam Kerala FC moved to the second spot in the Indian Women’s League 2024-25 points table with a comfortable 3-0 win over HOPS FC at the EMS Corporation Stadium on Sunday.
Prolific Ugandan striker Fazila Ikwaput struck two goals (39’, 81’) for Gokulam to take her tally of goals to seven in the competition, while Kenyan Catherine Amo Aringo found the third goal well into the add-on time.
After this victory, Gokulam have reached eight points from four matches that put them a point behind leaders East Bengal.
HOPS FC, on the other hand, are languishing at the seventh place in the eight-team league with one point after four matches. While they had their share of chances, they were also lucky not to concede more goals, especially in the second session.
Though the home side had the upper hand from the very start, they had to wait till the 40th minute to score the first goal. It was the result of a defensive mistake as Rinku Devi’s feeble clearance landed at the feet of Fazila, who gleefully accepted the opportunity to find the net.
Fazila, who so far has accounted for seven of Gokulam’s 10 goals, could have ended the day with a hat-trick, if not with more goals to her credit. After missing two easy chances in a short span of time, she finally scored her second goal in the 82nd minute when Catherine set it up for her with a measured through pass. Fazila’s shot was too powerful for goalkeeper Priti Sarkar to make much out of it.
Catherine scored the third goal in the most spectacular manner. She got hold of the ball around 40 yards away from the goal and single handedly made her way past the defence to bulge the net. In four matches, HOPS FC have scored only once.
The record could have been better had they availed themselves of their chances. While Varsha Rani on the right did a good job with her quick movements, Ghanaian striker Gladys Amfobea could have done better to justify her own reputation.
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