The night before Kalipuja in Bengal, Diwali in India, where the mother is worshipped beyond cultures, here at the Kishore Bharati Krirangnan, Moshal girls wrote their names in history books as they booked the knockout berth in the AFC Women’s Champions League.
Against April 25, a side from North Korea, they defended like their lives were on the line and managed to get through by goal difference. The equation was clear and simple before the start; as they were on a goal difference of -2 and the team from Myanmar stood at -6, East Bengal had to manage a scoreline of 0-3 even if they lost the match.
The task got more difficult as they conceded an early goal at the 2nd minute. After that, there were the April 25 attacks and the East Bengal defense. Many chances were created, but they fought bravely to deny any opportunity. Just at the fag end of the first half, East Bengal conceded again from a set piece, and the score became 0-2.
Now the equation became tougher to qualify, but the team held on and denied any other opportunity to the mighty North Korean side. The scoreline remained 2-0 in favor of the April 25 side, and the Moshal girls booked a berth in Asia’s Women’s Champions League knockout stage through goal difference, being the third-best team from three groups, denying Ayeyawady a chance, and joining the top 8 teams of Asia along with elites like China, Australia, Japan, and both Koreas.
EB head coach Anthony Andrews and the whole team were very emotional and celebrated with the fans. The tricolour has been held high. Coach Andrews said that these are the moments, and to qualify was the ultimate goal. Last year the team missed out by 5–6 seconds, and this year, mistakes were not repeated.
He also thanked the supporters who were present. After 70 minutes the team was dead on the pitch, but it was the fans who kept on chanting and motivated the team. The team will now start preparing for the IWL, which East Bengal will defend. The knockout stage will be played in a single-leg knockout format. The semi-finals and the final match will be played in a centralized location in March 2027.
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