Sethu FC start IWL title defence with crushing win over Kolhapur

Defending champions Sethu FC made a flying start to their Hero Indian Women's League campaign, thrashing Kolhapur City FC 5-0 at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Friday.  Amsavalli opened the scoring in the 18th minute before Sandhiya notched up a second half hat-trick, with K Sumithra also opening her account to round off a thoroughly dominating victory. The initial exchanges between the two teams were cagey, but Sethu dominated possession, while Kolhapur's Plan A involved catching their opponents on the break.

The deadlock was broken in the 18th minute by Amsavalli after she broke down the right flank and left her marker at bay before cutting in to the left and placing the ball into the net to put Sethu in front. The match headed into half-time with just the solitary goal in the book, leaving Kolhapur with a chance to make a comeback. But that changed after the hour mark, when Sandhya scored the second in the 61st minute. Just three minutes later defender K Sumithra rounded off the keeper to score the third before Sandhya scored her second and Sethu's fourth in the 66th minute. In the second minute of the added time, Sandhya completed her hat-trick, the first of this IWL season.