East Bengal held 0-0 by Rovers in AFC Women's Champions League preliminary at Likas Stadium on Aug 20, 2026
East Bengal FC and Rovers FC were locked at 0-0 at Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu during their AFC Women’s Champions League preliminary stage fixture on 20 August 2026, according to live updates.
East Bengal entered the match off a 4-0 win over Rajshahi Stars and are competing in the 2026-27 AFC Women’s Champions League preliminary stage with the aim of progressing to the main round. Rovers FC arrived after a 13-0 loss to hosts Sabah FA in their opening preliminary match, leaving them with a steep goal-difference deficit in the group.
The match opened with positive intent from both sides but neither team had produced a decisive finish; early chances were created but the attacking sequences did not result in goals. Rovers began the first half with a kickback and both teams completed their pre-match formalities, including the final team photograph, before kick-off.
Tournament context gives added weight to the fixture: East Bengal are seeking victories and improved goal difference ahead of their final group game against Sabah FA, while Rovers face a near-impossible task of topping the group after their heavy opening defeat. The report noted that a win for East Bengal would bolster their position, and that another loss for Rovers would extinguish their hopes of reaching the AFC Women’s Champions League group stages.
East Bengal coach Anthony Andrews was cited as needing his squad to maintain their momentum following the 4-0 win over Rajshahi Stars, with emphasis on creating and finishing chances through clever runs and link-up play. The coverage specified that East Bengal must win all three group matches to secure a place in the competition’s main round.
Available team news listed several likely absentees for East Bengal: Fazila Ikwaput, Resty Nanziri, Abena Opoku, Sweety Devi, Karthika Angamuthu and Sandhiya Ranganathan, while Soumya Guguloth was recovering from a knee injury. For Rovers, K. Benavente was noted as a possible absentee after being substituted early in their previous game.
Starting line-ups given in the match preview read: for Rovers — Mendiola (GK), Merill, Marquez, Estoy, Belocora, Bishop, Connelley, Shippey, Cruz, Franquez, Halili; for East Bengal — Panthoi Chanu (C) (GK); Sarita Yumnam, Adama Alhassan, Ashalata Devi, Astam Oraon; Shilky Devi, Olivia Anokye; Rimpa Haldar, Naorem Priyangka Devi, Sulanjana Raul; Abigail Antwi.
The fixture kicked off at 1:30 pm IST on Thursday, 20 August 2026, and was available to stream live on FanCode. East Bengal’s final preliminary-stage opponent will be Sabah FA, a match identified in the coverage as decisive for goal difference and group position.