All posts tagged: Anthony Andrews

Inside Emami East Bengal Women’s Football model

Inside Emami East Bengal Women’s Football model

Published by Webster

Sporting revolutions are rarely driven by performance alone. They are sustained by capital, self-belief, and collective passion. East Bengal Football Club’s women’s team is now living proof of this reality, with their resurgence anchored in consistency rather than coincidence. East Bengal were crowned champions of the Indian Women’s League 2024–25, and the momentum has carried into the ongoing 2025–26 season, where they finished Phase 1 at the top of the table, an indicator of sustained excellence. On the regional stage, the club added further prestige by winning the SAFF Women’s Club Championship 2025, sealing the title with a dominant 3–0 win over hosts Nepal Armed Police Force in Kathmandu. Anchored by experienced internationals like Soumya Guguloth and Sandhiya Ranganathan, clinical finishers such as Fazila Ikwaput, and energetic youth like Sulanjana Raul, the squad blends experience with emerging talent. Add to that a reliable spine, from midfielders Karthika Angamuthu and Sangita Basfore to defenders Loitongbam Ashalata Devi and Ngangbam Sweety Devi, and East Bengal possess both balance and depth. Under head coach Anthony Andrews, this mix …

East Bengal run riot on Anthony Andrews’ 50th IWL match as league action continues

East Bengal run riot on Anthony Andrews’ 50th IWL match as league action continues

Published by Webster

East Bengal FC marked head coach Anthony Andrews’ 50th match in the Indian Women’s League with a commanding 5-0 victory over Kickstart FC at the Kalyani Stadium on Tuesday. The emphatic result extended East Bengal’s perfect start to the 2025–26 season, keeping them top of the standings with five wins from five matches. Ugandan striker Fazila Ikwaput led the charge with a brace, scoring in the 15th and 73rd minutes. Resty Nanziri, Sulanjana Raul, and Astam Oraon also found the net as East Bengal dominated possession and chances throughout the contest. Kickstart struggled to contain the pace and movement of the Moshal Girls and remained in the relegation zone after another difficult outing. Elsewhere in Kolkata, Sesa Football Academy registered their first-ever point of the IWL season after holding Gokulam Kerala FC to a goalless draw at the National Centre of Excellence. Gokulam struck the woodwork twice in the opening minutes and controlled large spells of the game, but Sesa defended resolutely and saw two late efforts ruled out. The result leaves Gokulam sixth in …

East Bengal target winning start in maiden campaign

East Bengal target winning start in maiden campaign

Published by Webster

Matchday Two of the inaugural SAFF Women’s Club Championship 2025 will feature a highly anticipated clash as Indian Women’s League (IWL) champions East Bengal FC Women begin their maiden SAFF campaign against Bhutan’s Transport United Ladies FC at the Dashrath Stadium on Monday afternoon (Kickoff: 1:45 PM IST). While this will be East Bengal FC Women’s first-ever SAFF appearance, Transport United Ladies enter the contest after a gritty 0–0 draw against Karachi City FC in the tournament opener on 5 December. East Bengal come into the championship on the back of a landmark continental outing in the AFC Women’s Champions League, where the Moshal Girls created history by becoming the first Indian club to win an AWCL group stage match, defeating Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC 3–1. Despite subsequent losses to defending champions Wuhan Jiangda (China) and Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf, the Kolkata side remained in the quarter-final race until the closing stages of their group campaign, a testament to their rapid growth and exposure to elite competition. Their opponents, Transport United Ladies, runners-up in the 2024 …

How Anthony Andrews led East Bengal to India’s first AFC Women’s Champions League group-stage win

How Anthony Andrews led East Bengal to India’s first AFC Women’s Champions League group-stage win

Published by Webster

Long before the first whistle blew in Wuhan and long before the red-and-gold flag was unfurled on a picturesque evening in the Chinese city, Emami East Bengal women already knew what they were walking into. When a club of this stature, a club that has carried a century of noise, rage, romance, and rebellion on its shoulders, qualifies for the AFC Women’s Champions League, they don’t just step into a competition. They walk into a storm of expectations. And this time, the storm wasn’t just from Kolkata. It was from the entire country. Because this is no ordinary phase for Indian women’s football. But when East Bengal qualified for the AFC Women’s Champions League, expectations outside the dressing room were modest. A few days after returning from Wuhan, head coach Anthony Andrews sat down for an exclusive conversation with The Bridge, reflecting on the journey that carried his team to Asia’s biggest stage. Indian clubs had struggled at this level before and Odisha FC’s difficult run in the previous edition made supporters wary. But inside …

The guidance I didn’t get, can I help others get it? | By Anthony Andrews

The guidance I didn’t get, can I help others get it? | By Anthony Andrews

Published by Webster

I come from a very small place in Maharashtra called Bhusawal. I studied in a convent school and that’s really where my love for sports began. Balancing studies and sports was not easy, but I was lucky. Growing up in a house full of sisters, they pushed me towards sports and encouraged me to pursue it seriously. From under-9 onwards, I was always in a team. Around 16-17, I started chasing the dream at a higher level. I moved to Mumbai, went around looking for clubs, and tried my best wherever there was an opportunity. But I couldn’t continue for long. Injuries kept coming. I went back home, tried again with a few clubs. But it didn’t click. Around 18-19, I had my first ACL tear. Sitting at home for almost a year was the hardest part. I had no clarity on where or how I would continue in sports, football specifically. Back then, there was no real guidance or pathway. There was nobody to explain how the sport works, how teams function or how …

Nasaf too strong as East Bengal’s FC Women’s Champions League campaign concludes

Nasaf too strong as East Bengal’s FC Women’s Champions League campaign concludes

Published by Webster

East Bengal FC Women’s continental adventure came to a close on Friday as they fell 3–0 to Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf in their final Group B match of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025–26 at the Hankou Cultural and Sports Centre. After starting the tournament with a historic 3–1 win over Bam Khatoon FC, the Red & Gold entered this fixture with a chance, albeit slim, to qualify for the quarter-finals. But Nasaf’s clinical finishing and a late decisive strike extinguished their hopes. The match started evenly, with both sides trading early half-chances. However, Nasaf grabbed the opener in the 17th minute when a pass from the right found Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva (29), who slotted home with composure. The goal stood after a VAR check for offside, prompting East Bengal coach Anthony Andrews to seek clarification from the referee. Despite the setback, EB showed resilience, attempting quick transitions through Soumya Guguloth and Resty Nanziri, but the final pass continued to elude them. The second half began with urgency, but Nasaf struck again in the 52nd minute through …

East Bengal target winning start in maiden campaign

East Bengal FC Women eye historic AWCL quarter-final spot in decisive clash against Nasaf

Published by Webster

East Bengal FC will face Uzbekistan’s PFC Nasaf in the penultimate fixture of Group B in the 2025-26 AFC Women’s Champions League at Wuhan’s Hankou Culture & Sports Centre tomorrow afternoon (Kickoff – 12:30 PM IST). The Indian Women’s League champions will need either a draw or a win to script history and become the first Indian club to reach the quarter-finals of the continental competition. EBFC Women currently sit second in the group, level on points with Iran’s Bam Khatoon FC but ahead on goal difference (0 vs -1). Even a defeat will leave the Kolkata-based side with a chance to progress to the knockouts as one of the two best third-placed teams, but they must not concede more than 2 goals and hope for Wuhan to defeat Bam Khatoon later in the day. EBFC Women announced their arrival with a commanding 3-1 victory over Bam Khatoon on their AWCL group stage debut. Shilky Devi, Captain Fazila Ikwaput and Resty Nanziri scored in the win. However, their momentum was halted just three days later …

East Bengal run riot on Anthony Andrews’ 50th IWL match as league action continues

East Bengal FC ready for Group Stage debut

Published by Webster

East Bengal FC is set to script a new chapter in Indian women’s football history as they begin their maiden AFC Women’s Champions League group-stage campaign tomorrow in Wuhan, China. The Red and Gold Brigade, who qualified as Indian Women’s League (IWL) champions, will compete in a demanding Group B alongside Wuhan Jiangda FC (China PR), Bam Khatoon FC (Iran), and PFC Nasaf (Uzbekistan). East Bengal earned their spot after topping their preliminary group, finishing above Kitchee SC (Hong Kong) and Phnom Penh Crown FC (Cambodia). A 1–0 win over Phnom Penh Crown and a gritty draw against Kitchee gave them four points, enough to progress to the main competition. The qualification run showcased the team’s discipline and composure under pressure, with Ugandan striker Fazila Ikwaput, who scored 24 goals in the IWL, delivering in key moments. With two-time IWL-winning coach Anthony Andrews at the helm and AIFF Goalkeeper of the Year Panthoi Chanu guarding the posts, East Bengal arrives in Wuhan with both pedigree and ambition. East Bengal’s group is one of the toughest …