Friday was a memorable day for Anthony Samson Andrews. He has been the country’s only coach to have won three elite Indian Women’s League (IWL) titles, last two with Gokulam FC and the third with East Bengal after the Mashal Girls clinched their maiden IWL title on Friday with a 1-0 victory against Odisha FC at the Kalyani Stadium. 

Anthony Andrews has also been the first Indian coach of a women’s football team who joined East Bengal this season after the club paid a ‘hefty amount’ of transfer fees to Gokulam FC.

That might be the reason this 30-year-old coach had gratitude in his words while speaking to Parallel Sports after Friday’s match. “I am relieved of the fact that I could help East Bengal women to win their maiden elite IWL and earn qualification for the AFC Championship. East Bengal not only paid a hefty amount of transfer fees to Gokulam FC to get my service, also invested to build up the team following my requirements as well as allowing me to have the coaching staff I asked for. I am thankful to the club, each and player as well as the coaching staff.” 

Despite the fact, East Bengal secured IWL already on Friday with the concluding match remaining against Gokulam FC, Anthony is trying to set the players’ focus on their last match scheduled on 18th April at home. The Mashal Girls had lost only to Gokulam FC in the League.

East Bengal last won a national-level League competition 21 years ago, winning the men’s National League in 2003-04. 

Soumya Guguloth scored the winner for the winner. Soumya, who had won the IWL with Gokulam Kerala in 2022, reunited with head coach Anthony Andrews at East Bengal, and found the breakthrough in the 67th minute, powering the Moshal Girls to a historic victory.

With the IWL title, East Bengal FC has also qualified for the preliminary stage of the AFC Women’s Champions League 2025-26. 

Odisha, on the other hand, has had a season to forget after clinching the title last season. It lost major players from that squad and is now prime placed to suffer relegation, their fate not entirely in their own hands with one game left.