AFC Women’s Champions League:
Bam Khatoon beaten by East Bengal in Group B opener
Iranian champion Bam Khatoon got off to a losing start at the AFC Women’s Champions League, suffering a 3-1 setback against India’s East Bengal in Group B in Wuhan, China, on Monday.
East Bengal hit the ground running and took the lead four minutes into the game after two blocked attempts by Fazila Ikwaput saw the ball fall kindly to Shilky Hemam, who struck a low shot into the bottom-right corner from just outside the box.
The early strike set the tone for the remainder of the half, as the Indian side dictated the tempo, limiting Khatoon – a quarterfinalist in the previous edition – to long-range efforts, with Sara Didar and Fatemeh Geraeili both trying their luck.
The Indian side doubled its advantage in the 32nd minute following a slick buildup in which Amnah Nababi threaded a perfectly timed through ball to Ikwaput, who showed good control before slotting past Raha Yazdani.
Playing without integral winger Negin Zandi, who is out with an ACL injury, Khatoon was given a lifeline in first-half stoppage time after Jyoti Chouhan was penalized for handball in the box, allowing Mona Hamoudi to reduce the deficit from the spot.
Khatoon desperately pushed forward for an equalizer after the break, with Fatemeh Pasandideh and Geraeili coming close.
However, East Bengal turned up the intensity in the closing stages, and any hope of a Khatoon fightback was extinguished in the 87th minute when Resty Nanziri launched a spectacular long-range effort that curled over Yazdani before settling into the back of the net to seal the win.
Khatoon will be back in action against Uzbekistan’s Nasaf on Thursday, before taking on defending champion Wuhan Jiangda on Sunday.
The top two teams in the group table will progress to the quarterfinals, with the third-placed team hoping to advance as one of the two best third-placed sides across the three groups.