Anthony Samson Andrews and his East Bengal FC, champions of the Indian Women’s League 2024-25, were absent at the pre-tournament conference for the inaugural SAFF Women’s Club Championship on Thursday, as their flight was delayed. As a result, he could not make public the team’s aspirations for the tournament.

However, on Monday, after the team’s first match of the tournament, wherein they thrashed Transport United FC 4-0, Andrews made a bold statement in the post-match conference. “We are here for something special,” Andrews, the head coach of East Bengal, said. “We are here to create history.”

The Indian champions came in after strengthening their squad, notably with the inclusion of Fazila Ikwaput, the Ugandan forward.

Ikwaput was playing for Gokulam Kerala FC in the 2024-25 season in the Indian Women’s League. She was the highest scorer of the season with 24 goals; the player who followed her, East Bengal’s Elshaddai Acheampong, had 10 goals.

And the addition of the forward bore results as Ikwaput scored a brace for East Bengal on her club debut on Monday. She gave the team the lead against Transport United in the 35th minute, and she was the last scorer of the match after netting the team’s fourth goal in the 72nd.

Further, Ikwaput was also behind the two other goals for the Moshal Girls. It was with her assists that Sulanjana Raul and Resty Nanziri scored the second and third goals in the 60th and 63rd minutes, respectively. Ikwaput had many individual chances to increase her goal tally, but she failed.

East Bengal FC is a club with a rich history, especially in men’s football. Established in 1920, East Bengal is said to be India’s second-most successful club after Mohun Bagan, and the two share what is dubbed an ‘eternal rivalry’. And when Andrews was asked how the club was investing in the women’s team, which was formed in 2001, Andrews said the club had high hopes for the women’s side.

“We won our first title last season [2024-25], and that’s how we are here,” said Andrews. “Obviously, the club’s legacy is also an additional motivation for us to continue. Especially, with this girl’s [team], to empower these girls, we are serious.”

It was not as if Transport United did not have any chance to disallow East Bengal a clean sheet. Transport United and East Bengal both had created a chance each in the very first minute of the match. There were many other chances throughout the game, but the Bhutanese side could not capitalise on any of them.

The win against Transport United has already showcased East Bengal as one of the favourites for the title in the inaugural SAFF Women’s Club Championship. They are now on equal level with Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF) Club with a win in the first match, and with equal goal difference. APF had also started their campaign with a 4-0 win against Bangladesh’s Nasrin Sports Academy on the opening day on December 5.

Contrary to East Bengal, the Bangladeshi side found it difficult to answer when asked if they could qualify for the final. Among the five participating clubs, the top two teams from the points table after a single round-robin league stage will play for the title in the final on December 18.

“It is a difficult question,” said Md Monir Hossain, head coach of Bangladesh’s 2024 season champions Nasrin Sports Academy, when asked how they saw themselves in the Top 2 after a goalless draw with Pakistan’s champions Karachi City FC in the second match on Monday. “We want to, though.”

The goalless draw gave Nasrin their first point in two matches. They are yet to face East Bengal and Transport United. “We have six days before our next game,” Hossain said. “We will train properly, analyse our upcoming opponents’ games and try to produce better results.”

Similarly, Karachi City FC’s head coach Adeel Mirza Rizki, who is also the head coach of the Pakistani women’s national team, said that they will also be focusing on one match at a time. Karachi City, who now have two points from two draws, with the first coming against Transport United in the tournament opener, face East Bengal and APF in their last two fixtures.

“Nasrin were better with the ball today,” Rizki said after the draw. “They should be praised for their game. We want to end the tournament on a high note, and we will focus on the upcoming games.”

Meanwhile, Hossain said that the team was not having a good time with the training arrangement. “One training ground [Chyasal Stadium] is near, but the other [Nepali Army’s ground in Bhadrakali] takes an hour, which is hectic,” he said. “We hope that the organisers facilitate it. But not a big issue as it is a problem for all.”

All five teams are staying at the same hotel, the Gwarko-based Royal Tulip Kathmandu.

After a two-day rest period, the championship will return on December 11 when East Bengal will face Karachi City in the first match of the day. It will be followed by the match of the home side, APF, against Transport United.

APF are viewing East Bengal as the major obstacle to lifting the title at home. As a result, APF’s head coach Jibesh Pandey had his squad at the stadium to watch East Bengal’s match against Transport United on Monday.