The quarterfinals of the 2023 Hero IWL season came to its grand conclusion with four teams now decided to move into the semifinals of the competition. Defending champions Gokulam Kerala, first two season winners Eastern Sporting Union and Sethu Madurai and debutants Kickstart FC are the sides that made it through. Both the semifinals will be played at the Transstadia on Friday, 19 May 2023. The final of the tournament will be held two days after on 21 May 2023.
Quarterfinal Roundup
Overall, the quarterfinal was a great spectacle with the top four teams from two groups making it to this stage. Although the tournament is just 25 days long, the chance for knockout qualification gave a competitive edge in the group stages which spilled over to the later rounds. Competition veterans and newcomers all made the 2023 Hero IWL season a great watch.
Kickstart FC 2-1 Hops FC
Kioko Elizabeth Katungwa's late injury-time header helped Kickstart FC sneak out a 2-1 win over Hops FC in the battle of debutants this season in the IWL. The promising journey of the Delhi-based side ends here but they will leave with their heads held high. Meanwhile, the team from Karnataka will be proud of their achievement reaching the last four of the top division in their very first participation after finishing second in the group stages.
Kaviya Pakirisamy gave Kickstart a 17th-minute lead with both sides testing each other’s goalkeeper adequately. Hops managed to climb back into the game through Renu Rani whose sublime footwork was too hot to handle just after the hour mark. However, Kickstart did not retract from their game plan of maintaining pressure by keeping possession of the ball to get the winner and seal qualification to the next round.
Sports Odisha 1 (2) - 1(4) Eastern Sporting Union
Another interesting clash saw Sports Odisha halting Eastern Sporting Union to a 1-1 draw but suffering elimination after losing the tie-breaker 4-2. ESU, as the club is known, used all the competition experience to progress from this stage despite struggling earlier in the match. Sports Odisha might have lost the tie but won hearts with their determination to finish second in a group full of powerhouses and then give the Manipur-based team a run for their money.
After an evenly contested first half, Eastern Sporting Union took the lead with Lhingneikim converting a cross from a free-kick in a promising area. It motivated Sports Odisha to strike back with one of the stars of their season, Manisha Naik dinking the opposition keeper for a fabulous equalizer. However, Panthoi Chanu had the last laugh in the shootout saving a penalty and saw all four converted by her teammates for the victory.
Sethu Madurai 9-0 East Bengal
Losing their head coach in controversial circumstances only days after making it out of their group, East Bengal had a mountain to climb against Sethu Madurai in the quarterfinals and at the end of the day they fell off the cliff. The side from Tamil Nadu walloped them 9-0 in a stunning performance with Apurna Narzary scoring a staggering double-hattrick with Kajol D’Souza, Priyangka Devi and Ivy Faith scoring the other. The thrashing might have been unexpected but the flaws of the management were once again exposed.
Keeping this result aside, the Moshal Girls had a fine debut campaign in the IWL by finishing third in a tough group. However, Sujata Kar stepping down for repeated impinging from club officials hit the spirit of the team going on to suffer this humiliation. For Sethu Madurai, they cruise to the semifinals with an eyebrow-raising score-line hardly anyone could have imagined.
Gokulam Kerala 1(3) - 1 (0) Odisha FC
The battle of the titans had everything. An early lead from Odisha FC scored by none other than Bala Devi, the response from Gokulam FC through Roja Devi in first-half before going down to 10 players with Ranjana Chanu receiving her second booking and then a class act of goalkeeping from Beatrice in saving three consecutive penalties in the shootout to help her side progress to the semifinals. An action-filled quarter final tie with the holders keeping their title defense for at least another round while Crispin Chettri’s star-studded team bid goodbye despite their excellent effort in the match.
The ISL-based team almost sparked a huge surprise and had plenty of chances to double their early lead but just could not manage it. Anthony Andrew’s girls also surged up their opportunity attempting to win the game normally only to see Sabitra Bhandari and Dangmei Grace hitting the upright with only the keeper to beat. It seemed as if the stage was always set for the Ghanian to deny three stars from the Indian football team in Anju Tamang, Bala Devi and Pyari Xaxa from the spot to grab the headlines.
Semifinals Preview
Kickstart FC vs Sethu Madurai FC - Transstadia (4:30 PM)
Kickstart’s late win over Hops lands them with a perilous challenge to overcome against Sethu Madurai. Langam Chaoba Devi’s side had made it to this stage for their rock-solid defense which will now face a strong striking force in the form of the 2018-19 winners. Kickstart are the only side to make it out of the quarterfinals in their maiden season this term and would like to enter the final for a remarkable achievement. However, after destroying East Bengal 9-0 in the previous round and having a bag full of experience in the competition, Sethu Madurai will be huge favorites in this tie.
Eastern Sporting Union vs Gokulam Kerala FC - Transstadia (8:00 PM)
Next to Mikasa United in the group stages, Odisha FC put up a great battle against the holders Gokulam FC this season. The Malabarians sustain a trophy-winning mentality from the last two seasons making them a cut above the rest and they showed them in the quarterfinal tie even with one less player in the side. Their hungry for silverware gives them an outright favorites tag to successfully defend their IWL title for a third time. Anyone will feel confident having a 26-goal scoring machine in one’s team that will create problems for shutouts of the opposition. Hence, Eastern Sporting Union will try to prevent all-time IWL top scorer Sabitra Bhandari and her team Gokulam in a tall task to name a new champion after the final. The inaugural winners already have a champion in Yumnam Kamala Devi who helped them to the title in 2017.
