Fazila Ikwaput scored twice as East Bengal FC began their AFC Women’s Champions League campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City Women’s FC in a Group B contest on Sunday. The win also made East Bengal the first Indian club to register multiple victories in the tournament’s group stage, having beaten Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC 3-1 in the previous edition. The Indian side will next take on Korea Republic’s Hwacheon KSPO WFC on Wednesday, while Ho Chi Minh City will face DPR Korea’s 4.25 SC.
East Bengal broke the deadlock in the 20th minute after Football Video Support detected a handball by Rielly Chesna while attempting to stop Ikwaput’s forward run. The Kolkata side eventually extended their advantage in the 34th minute. Ikwaput capitalised on Tanaka Hitomi’s powerful header, held off Chesna and calmly slotted past the advancing goalkeeper Tran Thi Kim Thanh to complete her brace. Ho Chi Minh City made a determined attempt to turn the contest around after the break and found a lifeline in the 60th minute. The Vietnamese side continued to press for an equaliser, but East Bengal defended resolutely. Their best chance to restore a two-goal cushion came in the 74th minute when Anokye set up Ikwaput for a tap-in, only for Cu Thi Huynh Nhu to produce a crucial sliding block.
