Unstoppable Gokulam Kerala FC thump Eastern Sporting Union to secure a place in IWL finals

Gokulam Kerala FC secured a resounding 5-1 victory against Eastern Sporting Union to book their place in the finals of the Indian Women’s League (IWL).

Unsurprisingly, Gokulam Kerala controlled the game and dominated possession in the opening stages. Their first chance arrived within the 10th minute. Sabitra Bhandari opened up ESU’s defense with a pinpoint pass, but Indumathi’s lobbed effort hit the woodwork.

Panthoi Chanu, whose heroics rescued ESU in the quarter-finals, was certainly the busier of the two goalkeepers. She made a couple of stunning saves to deny the in-form Bhandari and Dangmei in the first quarter of the game.

However, Eastern Sporting Union took the lead in the 17th minute against the run of play. In a moment of sheer brilliance, Kamala Devi unleashed a swirling half-volley from 30 yards out that found the back of the net and left the goalkeeper rooted to the spot.

Gokulam Kerala kept probing forward and were finally rewarded for their efforts when the referee pointed to the spot for a foul on Bhandari. Despite ESU’s protests, Indumathi stepped up and calmly converted the resulting penalty to level the proceedings.

Following a period of sustained pressure, they scored their second goal in stoppage time of the first half. Ashalata Devi found Sabitra Bhandari’s run, and the striker rounded off the keeper before slotting the ball into an empty net. Despite ESU’s resilient defense, Gokulam Kerala took a deserving lead going into the break.

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Gokulam Kerala FC scored thrice in the second half to seal a comfortable victory

The second half began in a cagey fashion, but Gokulam Kerala once again found the breakthrough and doubled their lead in the 54th minute. Indumathi’s through ball found Bhandari, who then cleverly teed up Vivian Adjei for a simple tap-in.

Substitute Adjei was heavily involved as she nearly found the back of the net just two minutes after scoring her first goal. It was a one-sided affair in the second half and the reigning champions put the game to bed with twenty minutes of regulation time left.

Bhandari’s influence in the game continued, and this time, her incredible vision was on display. She executed a cross with precision, which Indumathi converted with a powerful header from inside the penalty box.

After setting up Adjei and Indumathi, Bhandari got into the act and scored her second goal of the night in stoppage time. This time, Adjei set her up, and the 25-year-old made no mistake in front of the goal.

Late in the game, Gokulam Kerala slowed the tempo of the game and kept possession to ultimately see out Eastern Sporting Union. After a thumping 5-1 victory, they are set to face Kickstart FC Karnataka in the IWL finals, who earlier beat Sethu Madurai FC with a scoreline of 2-0.