IWL 2022: Sandhiya Ranganathan stars as Sethu FC ease past Indian Arrows

Sethu FC jumped to second in the IWL 2022 standings with a clinical 3-0 victory against Indian Arrows at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on Sunday. After three games, the former champions are level on points with Gokulam FC and Kickstart FC.

The game unraveled as a cagey affair in the initial minutes, with both teams scrambling for midfield control. However, Sethu Football Club slowly emerged as the better team and, in the 15th minute, drew first blood.

Skipper Sandhiya Ranganathan carved open the Arrows' defense with a darting run and rolled the ball past the keeper to make it 1-0.

Indian Arrows resist but fail to stop Sethu FC

However, the AIFF developmental side didn't look like pushovers. They were resilient off the ball and kept Sethu FC at bay for the rest of the half. A half-chance fell the way of the Tamil Nadu club in the 34th minute when they won a freekick.

However, Anju Tamang's freekick didn't materialize into anything substantial. SFC had six shots on target in the first half itself.

However, after the break, Sethu FC came out hungry and determined to amplify their lead. Sandhiya Ranganathan was once again the one to raise her hand and make an impact for SFC. She cut in from the left flank and unleashed a low shot into the near post.

Having doubled their lead, SFC grew confident and were awarded a penalty in the 53rd minute. Arrows defender Muskan Subba was penalized for handling the ball inside the box. Karthika Angamuthu calmly converted from the spot.

The Tamil Nadu-based club continued their charge forward but the Indian Arrows' defense were adamant to not extend their suffering.

While SFC are at the third spot in the points table, Indian Arrows are at sixth with a win, a draw, and a loss. They next face struggling Odisha Police and will be hoping to return to winning ways.