IWL 2025-26: Fazila Ikwaput hat-trick propels East Bengal past Sribhumi FC as second phase begins

Defending champions East Bengal FC extended their lead at the top with a 3-1 win against Sribhumi FC in their Indian Women’s League 2025-26 match at the East Bengal Ground in Kolkata on Monday.

Fazila Ikwaput’s hat-trick secured three points, taking the Moshal Girls to 21 points from seven matches. The Ugandan striker took her IWL goals tally to 54, overtaking Ngangom Bala Devi with 51 goals to become the competition’s second-highest scorer after Sabitra Bhandari (60). Rimpa Haldar scored Sribhumi’s only goal.

East Bengal dominated from the start with an aggressive press and direct attacking play. Ikwaput found the net early on, but was denied by the offside flag.

The Ugandan remained a constant threat and was rewarded in the 37th minute when a long ball towards her was misjudged by Toijam Thoibisana Chanu, whose header fell kindly for Ikwaput. She calmly slipped past the advancing Monalisha.

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East Bengal struck again within a minute of the restart. Ikwaput surged forward, cut inside and curled a precise effort into the bottom right corner to make it 2-0.

Ikwaput completed her hat-trick on the hour mark, making a sharp turn under pressure before firing the ball past Monalisha for 3-0.

The visitors pulled one back in the 80th minute after a mistake in midfield. Nameirakpam Arina Devi drove forward and set up Rimpa, who finished clinically past Panthoi.

It was only the second goal that East Bengal have conceded in the competition this season.

This was the first match of Phase 2, after 27 matches had been played from 20 December 2025 to 9 January 2026. The league took a break of more than three months to make players available for the senior and under-20 women’s national team camps for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in March and the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup in April.

Published on April 27, 2026