Anthony Andrews hails historic AWCL quarter-final qualification after East Bengal lose 2-0 to 4.25 SC
East Bengal FC Women head coach Anthony Andrews spoke to the media after East Bengal's 2-0 defeat to 4.25 SC in their final Group B game of the 2026-27 AFC Women's Champions League at Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on November 8, 2026. Despite the loss, East Bengal became the first Indian club to reach the AWCL knockout stages, qualifying as one of the two best third-placed teams with three points and a goal difference of (-4).
Han Jin Hong and Oh Sol Song scored for 4.25 SC, and East Bengal conceded within the opening two minutes, a setback Andrews said made the match considerably more difficult. The result left East Bengal with three points from the group stage and a negative goal difference of (-4) but enough to progress to the quarter-finals.
Andrews opened his post-match remarks by congratulating the wider Indian football community and expressing pride in his squad, saying: “Firstly, congratulations to everybody, all the Indians. Without you, this tournament would not have been possible. Congratulations to everybody. Obviously, I am very proud of this team and the way we defended our lives. However, there are a lot of areas we need to work on.”
He acknowledged the gulf in quality between the sides and pointed to specific defensive lapses that decided the game, adding: “Obviously, we know our strengths and weaknesses, and we were aware that 4.25 SC are a much superior team to us. They know how to move the ball faster, and we know our limitations as well. The moment we conceded that goal, I was just thinking, ‘No more.’ But it kept happening.” Andrews detailed the mistakes: “Two errors happened, one from a set piece and another in open play. But we kept going, and in the second half, we went in and fixed the problems. The girls defended their lives, and I am happy with that.”
Reflecting on the previous season's elimination, Andrews described how that experience motivated the group and shaped their approach to the tournament: “Last year, everybody knew the heartbreak of conceding a last-minute goal, which shattered us throughout the year. We kept pushing to win the IWL title. Maybe on the screens or to the people, it looks very easy that the coach is winning and East Bengal are winning. But honestly, it is very, very difficult to keep performing every single year and compete against the best teams.” He added: “Realistically, the last two games were out of our control. The only thing in our control was to concede as few goals as possible and hit them on the counterattacks. I think the girls understood the situation. We have overcome what happened last season and fulfilled our responsibilities on the pitch in the second half. I am happy with that.”
Andrews contrasted the demands of the Indian Women’s League and AFC competition structures and called for long-term development, saying: “IWL and AFC are different games altogether. How do we prepare? It is a big challenge because the IWL has different rules, while the AFC competition has its own set of rules. There are a lot of areas we need to improve as a team.” On strengthening domestic competition he added: “Firstly, we need more teams in the IWL, more teams and a greater number of games. If you see South Korea, they also have eight teams in their country, but they play four rounds, which increases the number of matches.” He later said: “For us in women’s football, we just want to organise tournaments for the sake of organising tournaments. The sooner you finish, the better. If we stop this approach, things will happen. Then you can expect good things from every club, and we will have better players in the country as well.” Andrews also noted the immediate domestic priority: “At this moment, I just want to see what is coming ahead in the IWL because we also need to defend our title. That is something very close to our hearts, and we will try to win it for the third time.”
Visibly emotional after the match, Andrews described the qualification as personally important and praised the collective effort, saying: “This was one of my dreams as well. As a coach, it is always a challenge. When you win once, people say you have the best team. When you win for the second time, they say the same thing. But to keep winning and performing consistently is very difficult.” He recalled last season's narrow elimination: “Last year, that heartbreak was very close to my heart because five seconds changed everything for all of us. This time, I did not want to take that risk. We really worked hard. The backroom staff, players and management, everybody was there to help us achieve the best possible result on the pitch.” Andrews also called for broader support for the women's game, stating: “My humble request to everyone involved in women’s football is to come together and help the women’s game. The girls are really, really hard-working. We have seen the national team’s performances at the U-17, U-20 and senior levels. If we keep supporting the clubs and organising good tournaments, it will eventually help the national team as well.”
East Bengal FC will be unseeded in the draw and will be on the road to face either defending champions or Group A toppers: Naegohyang Women’s FC of DPR Korea, Group C toppers PFC Nasaf from Uzbekistan, or the best second-placed side, Melbourne City FC, who are an Australia-based team.