Bhubaneswar: Odisha FC’s near-perfect IWL 2023-24 season ended on a flawless note when they outclassed Kickstart FC 6-0 to bag their maiden title Sunday.
Lynda Kom (11′, 66′ 77′), Pyari Xaxa (13′, 22′), and Karthika Angamuthu (58′) scored for the winners.
Packed with national team stars, the champions, who led 3-0 at half time, were aided by a hat-trick by former India U17 captain Lynda Kom.
While Pyari Xaxa scored a brace, Karthika Angamuthu struck a stunner to complete the rout.
Lynda and Pyari combined to slam in three goals within 22 minutes to make sure the championship didn’t slip out of their hands and three more in the second half only added to the misery of the Bengaluru-based side and emphasised the dominance Odisha FC displayed during their campaign.
While Odisha FC ended with 31 points from 12 matches to leave their nearest rivals, Gokulam Kerala FC, two points behind in the race, Kickstart FC finished a distant third, 10 points behind the ultimate champions.
If anyone was looking for a dramatic turnaround in fortunes on the last day of the championship when two matches were played simultaneously, Odisha FC were certainly in no mood to entertain them.
The home side knew that all they needed were three points to reduce the other tie of the day between Gokulam Kerala FC and East Bengal FC into a redundant affair in the championship battle. They did exactly that.
So intense was the hunger of Odisha FC for the title that they nearly settled the issue even before their handful of drum-beating fans could settle down in the stands.
Two goals within 13 minutes broke the backbone of Kickstart resistance and thereafter it was a kind of one-sided affair that left the goodly crowd yawning after some time.
PTI
