Majestic finish

Odisha secured its first IWL title with a commanding 6-0 victory over Kickstart, while Mohammedan edges closer to clinching its maiden I-league championship.

Odisha FC (above) made history by winning its maiden Indian Women’s League title and will go on to represent India in the AFC Women’s Champions League next season. On the final day of the season, Odisha clinched the championship in style by dispatching Kickstart FC 6-0 in front of a sparse home crowd at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Lynda Kom scored a hat-trick, while Pyari Xaxa’s brace and Karthika Angamuthu’s goal provided Odisha with a fitting end to the season, where it wrestled the title away from Gokulam Kerala’s tight grasp after a gap of four years.

Gokukam Kerala pushed Odisha till the end but ultimately finished two points behind after its 5-1 victory over East Bengal on the last day.

Gokulam, which finished with a better goal difference, could have made it four successive titles in a row if it had won its opening match of the season, which ended in a 0-0 draw at home against Sethu FC.

I-league

Mohammedan SC is just a win away from claiming the I-league for the first time and earning promotion to the Indian Super League.

Second-placed Sreenidi Deccan had the opportunity to keep the pressure on Mohemmedan but it slipped up in a 2-2 draw at home to Churchill Brothers, where it shipped two goals in the final 10 minutes of the match.

With a game in hand, Sreenidi is now eight points behind Mohemmadan, which can secure the title on March 30 in front of its home supporters when it takes on Inter Kashi.

Inter has put together an impressive nine-game unbeaten run and moved to third in the table ahead of Real Kashmir and Gokulam Kerala, whose form has tailed in recent weeks.