HO CHI MINH CITY (Interstat) — East Bengal W (Ind) W defeated Ho Chi Minh W 2-1 on Sunday behind a two-goal performance from Fazila Ikwaput. Ikwaput opened the scoring in the 34th minute and finished with two goals in 90 minutes. Hitomi Tanaka supplied an assist in 90 minutes. Ho Chi Minh W equalized through Đậu Nguyễn Quỳnh Anh in the 60th minute, but East Bengal W (Ind) W went back ahead and held on. The result improved East Bengal W (Ind) W to 1-0 in this competition and 1-0 across all competitions. Ho Chi Minh W dropped to 0-1 in the competition and 1-3 across all competitions. Thi Ngoc Tram Phan had an assist in 57 minutes for Ho Chi Minh W. East Bengal W (Ind) W made the most of its chances, and Ho Chi Minh W’s response came after the break.

Ho Chi Minh W made two changes in the 33rd minute, bringing on Siddiqi K. and Thua K. as it sought to alter the match. The home side brought on Chesna R. and Huynh Nhu in the 56th. East Bengal W (Ind) W made a change in the 68th, bringing on Sulanjana R., before Ho Chi Minh W used Tran Thi T. X. in the 71st and Phan T. T. in the 86th. East Bengal W (Ind) W later introduced Anokye O. in the 89th and Oraon A. in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The match included yellow cards for Ho Chi Minh W’s Do Thi Thuy Kieu in the 44th and East Bengal W (Ind) W’s Opoku A. in the 59th. Ho Chi Minh W’s substitutions came as the hosts tried to recover after falling behind and then chase an equalizer following the hour mark.

East Bengal W (Ind) W’s attack ran through Ikwaput, whose two goals proved decisive. Tanaka’s assist helped the visitors convert a key chance, while Ho Chi Minh W’s Thi Ngoc Tram Phan created a goal in 57 minutes of work. Ho Chi Minh W had entered the match after a 2-0 loss to Phong Phu Ha Nam W, a 2-1 loss to Thai Nguyen W and a 1-0 win over TKS Viet Nam W in earlier matches this season. The home side made six substitutions in all, including two in the 33rd minute and two more in the 56th, as it tried to change the flow. East Bengal W (Ind) W made three changes, with Sulanjana R. entering in the 68th, Anokye O. in the 89th and Oraon A. in stoppage time. The visiting side protected its lead after Đậu’s 60th-minute goal, and Ho Chi Minh W could not find a second equalizer. Ikwaput was East Bengal W (Ind) W’s top performer, and the win gave the club a 1-0 record in the competition and across all competitions. Ho Chi Minh W’s overall record moved to 1-3, with a 0-1 mark in this competition. Ho Chi Minh W’s best spell came after the restart, but it could not turn possession into a second goal. The hosts pushed numbers forward late, but the visitors held firm. East Bengal W (Ind) W’s win came in its first match of the competition and first across all competitions this season.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Ho Chi Minh W 1, East Bengal W (Ind) W 0. Interstat’s ELO system had given Ho Chi Minh W a 62.4 percent probability to win. Ho Chi Minh W had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.