Last week we introduced the competition and reviewed what transpired in Group A and Group C. As a quick review, the three groups competing in the Group Stage are not playing at the same time. Each group has a separate set of match dates. With Groups A and C wrapped up, we turn to Group B and the stage’s final action.

Group B played all of their matches at the Hankou Culture and Sports Center Stadium in Wuhan, China.

Group B features the defending champions, Wuhan Jaingda FC. Joining them in the group are Bam Khatoon of Iran and two teams that made it to the Group Stage via the Preliminary Round: FC Nasaf of Uzbekistan and East Bengal FC of India.

I’m not quite sure Group B competes with Group A for title as the Group of Death, but this is a fairly even group with all four teams from leagues higher on AFC’s coefficient table.

Bam Khatoon FC have been the dominant team in Iran’s Kowsar Women Football League. The league began in 2007, and Bam Khatoon have won the title 11 times in the 17 seasons run. They’ve especially been dominant of late, winning 7 of the last 8 seasons, finishing second only in the 2020/21 season that was impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic.

East Bengal FC are one of India’s storied clubs, dating back to 1920 with their women’s team forming in 2001. When the national Indian Women’s League was founded in 2016, East Bengal remained in the regional level. They weren’t promoted to the top tier until 2022. The 2024/25 season was East Bengal FC’s first league title.

FC Nasaf were founded in 2003 as FC Sevinch Qarshi (Qarshi being the city they play in), but they’ve adopted the name of their parent club, FC Nasaf, in more recent years. The Uzbekistan Women’s League dates back to 1995, with some teams going back to the old soviet leagues. Since joining the league, FC Nasaf have been a dominant force, winning 16 league titles, including a stretch of 11 straight titles between 2006 and 2016.

Wuhan Jiangda FC were founded in 2001 and played primarily in lower divisions of soccer in China. They won promotion to the Chinese Women’s Super League, the top league in China, in 2017. Once there, Jiangda became a dominant force in the league, winning 5 straight between 2020 and 2024. They are also the defending champions of the AFC Women’s Champions League, having beaten Melbourne City FC in the final of the inaugural edition of the tournament.

Full Match Here

In a tight group, this match featured the two teams most likely to battle for second place and even potentially upset Wuhan Jiangda’s apple cart. Both teams were also coming off bad results.

FC Nasaf got out on top of the match early, creating a number of decent chances, especially by playing through their dangerous wingers. East Bengal did have the occasional forays forward, but they didn’t do much with them, often missing the final pass.

18’ After a series of attacks that were rebuffed by East Bengal’s defense, Nasaf quickly worked the ball left to right and sprung Nilufar Kudratova down the right. Behind the defense, Kudratova drove toward the line and centered for her attack partner, Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva, who easily finished. The goal was reviewed for a potential offside, and it is definitely close. But lacking the fancy line-drawing technology, I think awarding the goal was the appropriate call.

27’ FC Nasaf continued to provide the bulk of the pressure, and they nearly had a second when Gulzoda Amirova’s shot from distance deflected off a defender, putting the shot out of the reach of the keeper but clanging off the crossbar.

37’ For East Bengal FC, their best chances involved Fazila Ikwaput, but the striker often found herself isolated up top. That didn’t stop her from being a pest for the Nasaf defenders, as she would often hold up the ball to bring teammates into play and win a few freekicks. East Bengal’s first decent attempt came from one such free kick, but the shot was easily handled by Jonimqulova in goal.

As the half wore on, East Bengal pushed more bodies forward and the field tilted in their favor, but they were unable to make the pressure pay off. With practically the last kick of the half, Nasaf would put the ball in the net a second time after a quick restart, but it was correctly ruled out for a clear offside.

52’ FC Nasaf started the second half much like they did the first, maintaining the bulk of possession and creating chances. They doubled their lead in the 52’ with a goal similar to their opener but from the left side. Lyudmila Karachik is played to on the wing, and she opens up a bit of space with her dribbling to find Zarina Norboeva for another easy finish.

61’ Despite going down two, East Bengal fought throughout the second half. Their best chance came from a good throughball from Amnah Nababi that put Soumya Guguloth though on goal, but her shot was well saved by Jonimqulova.

90’+8 FC Nasaf would handle East Bengal’s attacks for the rest of the match, and they would add a cherry on top late in stoppage time when Khabibullaeva cleaned up the rebound after Karachik’s rocket was well saved by Elangbam Panthoi Chanu. As with the first goal, there was a review for a potential offside, but the goal was correctly given.

Full Time: East Bengal FC 0-3 FC Nasaf

Full Match Here

East Bengal FC got out to an early lead with a goal in the 4’ from Shilky Hamam, who finished from outside the box after some chaos in the box was only half cleared. East Bengal doubled their lead 25 minutes later when Ugandan midfielder Amnah Nababi found her compatriot’s well-timed run and put a ball over the defense that Fazila Ikwaput calmly controlled and finished. Bam Khatoon got their offense going late in the first half, and won a penalty on a tight handball call that they converted to make it 2-1 at the half.

Bam Khatoon continued to attack to start the second half, but East Bengal found their opportunities to counter when they could. The Indian side had a shout for a penalty of their own, but on review, the ball was shown to not have hit the players hand. Despite their efforts getting forward, the Iranian side didn’t create much danger, and East Bengal would hit the post before Resty Nanziri would complete the scoring in the 87’.

Highlight of the Match: Fazila Ikwaput’s run, control, and calm flick past Yamdani put East Bengal in a strong position and was the pick of the goals.

Full Match Here

Jiangda got out on the front foot and won a handball penalty in the opening 10 minutes, but, Ma Jun’s attempt was saved by Maftuna Jonimqulova in Nasaf’s goal. Jiangda FC continued to put pressure on the Uzbek side, creating a number of half chances. The breakthrough came in the 20’ when freekick is played in that Tang Han controls and touches around the keeper. Before she can finish, Nasaf defender, Grace Adams, attempts a desperate clearance from a difficult angle, and she’s only able to steer the ball into her own net. Adams nearly recovered to save the ball off the line, but it did fully cross to give Jiangda the 1-0 lead.

After concediting, Nasaf began to get some possession and found attacking opportunities. Late in the half, FC Nasaf had a penalty shout of their own. Ultimately, it was not awarded, and I think that’s the right call, but it was right on that border. Not to be deterred by the no-call, FC Nasaf would continue to attack, and they found the equalizer on a break down the left wing where Lyudmila Karachik drove into the box and provided a lovely square ball for Nilufar Kudratova to easily finish to level the score.

Wuhan Jiangda FC would have the bulk of the attack in the second half, but FC Nasaf had their chances as well. FC Nasaf had another shout for a handball penalty in the 80’. This one was also not given. To my view, this one was a clear handball, and FC Nasaf rightly dismayed by the no-call. In then end, neither team was able to find the net a second time, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Highlight of the Match: Kudratova’s equalizer in first half stoppage time was the culmination of a lovely move up the wing and well deserved equalizer.

Full Match Here

Wuhan Jiangda FC got on the front foot early, holding possession and giving East Bengal FC little to sniff at, offensively. Jiangda would find a goal in the 8’. After some sustained pressure, the Chinese side worked the ball up the left wing, and Song Fei’s center into the box found Wang Shuang, who easily finished for the 1-0 lead. Wuhan Jiangda went from strength to strength, continuing to attack, and they would earn a penalty minutes later when East Bengal’s keeper, Elangbam Panthoi Chanu, brought down Wang Shuang in the box. The experienced winger would take and bury the penalty for her brace and Jiangda’s 2-0 lead.

Wuhan Jiangda’s dominance continued through the second half with Panthoi Chanu making saves to keep the scores close, but East Bengal’s offense offering little threat on the attacking end.

Highlight of the Match: Wang Shuang’s opener gave Wuhan Jiangda the early lead with the kind of aggressive, attacking play that kept the Chinese side in control of the match throughout.

Full Match Here

This was a proper smash and grab win for Bam Khatoon. For those of you that have played the Championship Manager/Football Manager series, you’’’ be familiar with this kind of stat line:

Possession: Nasaf 80% - 20% Khatoon
Passes: Nasaf 620 - 171 Khatoon
Corners: Nasaf 11 - 1 Khatoon
Crosses: Nasaf 55 - 1 Khatoon
Shots: Nasaf 22 - 5 Khatoon

Final score: Nasaf 0 - 1 Khatoon

I think Nasaf will feel they could have done better to challenge her, but Raha Yazdani deserves her praise as she made all the saves she had to make including an excellent point blank save late in the first half to preserve the lead.

Highlight of the Match: Sara Didar’s winner was the key moment, and credit to her. She timed her run perfectly, kept ahead of the defender and calmly slotted past Jonimqulova.

Full Match Here

Wuhan Jiangda came into this match knowing they had advanced, but they needed a win to ensure they finished top of the group. Because of the other final match of the group stage, Khatoon knew a win or a draw would suffice to progress, at least as one of the best third place teams, but a loss meant elimination.

Much like the match against Nasaf, Khatoon started in a very low block with everyone deep but Sara Didar up top. Also like the previous match, Raha Yazdani had plenty of heroics in the first half, making a number of saves. Khatoon’s smash and grab approach nearly paid off in the 32’ when they got down the left on a quick counter but Ding Xuan was able to collect the cross before Didar could apply a finish.

The defense finally broke late in first-half stoppage time when Jiangda’s Ghanaian forward, Mavis Owusu headed home from a freekick. Yazdani will feel she should have done better, but this is also what happens when a keeper is endlessly forced to make saves.

Knowing they needed at least a draw to advance, Bam Khatoon were more offensive in the second half, and the additional space provided more opportunity for Wuhan Jiangda. They would score three more goals in the second half to close out the victory.

Highlight of the Match: After being held at bay for most of the first half, Owusu’s opener in first half stoppage time set the stage for Jiangda’s goals in the second half.

Wuhan Jiangda met expectation by finishing top of the group. FC Nasaf were worthy second place finishers, and if they could play the Bam Khatoon match again, they may have even topped the group.

1. Wuhan Jiangda FC - 7pts
2. FC Nasaf - 4pts
3. East Bengal FC - 3pts
4. Bam Khatoon FC - 3pts

With the head-to-head victory, East Bengal finished ahead of Bam Khatoon. However, their fewer goals scored than Stallion Laguna mean they miss out on the Knockout stage.

The Knockout stage of the AFC Women’s Champions League is a single-elimination, knockout bracket. The stage kicks off in late March with the Quarterfinal round. The matches will be hosted by the group winners and the best second-placed team.

The Semifinals and Championship match will then be played in May. These rounds will be hosted in a centralized location like the Group stage. The final will take place on Saturday, May 23.

The draw for the Knockout stage will happen on January 8, with the seeded teams hosting the Quarterfinal match. The teams in draw are as follows:

Seeded Teams
Melbourne City FC
Naegohyang FC
Tokyo Verdy Beleza
Wuhan Jiangda

Unseeded Teams
Ho Chi Minh City FC
FC Nasaf
Stallion Laguna FC
Suwon FC

Having watched all of the group stage matches, I figure I’d close out this edition of the newsletter reviewing the players that stood out to me.

Alexia Apostolakis
More than anyone, Melbourne City’s right back was the standout performer for me. The 19yo was solid in defense and provided attacking support, both by providing width and depth on the wing but also by turning inside and curling in bangers from outside the box. She’ll be running the wings of bigger clubs in no time. If you’re a club looking for a right back, you could do a lot worse than throwing some money at this Aussie.

Fazila Ikwaput
East Bengal’s Ugandan contingent all showed well, but Fazila Ikwaput is definitely the spark on the team. Her pace and energy in the attack is relentless. She’s scored goals everywhere she’s gone, and she was East Bengal’s main threat in both the preliminary and group stages. I don’t know if she’ll lead the lines of the top teams in the world, but she can definitely provide some quality for many teams.

Mileninha
The young Brazilian attacker is growing into a dominant, dangerous player who can play a variety of positions in the attack. While Suwon has taken a step back from its title winning season last year in the WK League, Mileninha has been a consistent threat for their attack. She’s had a stint with Brazil’s U20WNT at the 2022 World Cup, scoring one goal from the bench, but she remained on the bench for much of the tournament. Having to be the centerpiece of the attack is growing her game, and I’d expect to see her scoring goals for seasons to come.

Danelle Tan
The 21yo Singaporean striker has kicked around a number of teams in her young career, including the London Bees, Borussia Dortmund, and the Brisbane Roar. She’s maybe not yet ready to lead the attack of a top-tier team, but she’s developing in that direction.

Honerable Mention: The FC Nasaf Front Three

Lyudmila Karachik
Lyudmila Karachik is probably the strongest of this trio, but turning 31 in December, she is on the back end of her career. Still she remains a talented attacking winger/wide forward who can play on the touchline, drift inward to help with combination play, and she can score boatloads of goals. She’s scored 164 goals in her 80 league matches.

Nilufar Kudratova
The other attacking winger/wide forward, Kudratova is also the captain of the side. Like, Karachik, she is strong at running the channels on the right side while crashing the goal when she’s the opposite-side forward. She’s got good control and a good read of the game.

Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva
The central attacker of the trio, and the youngest of the group at 26yo, Khabibullaeva expertly partners with her forward line compatriots, offering smart runs to open space for the wider attackers, presenting herself as a target in the box for crosses, but also able to drop deeper into the half-spaces to help facilitate buildup play.

Assuming all are healthy, I would expect all three to be representing Uzbekistan at next year’s Women’s Asian Cup, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that Uzbekistan side pulls off a surprise or two.

There is a lot of exciting action coming up in women’s soccer. We’ve got the upcoming international break that will feature the final of the UEFA Nations League and the next set of matches in the CONMEBOL Nations League (which is doubling as World Cup Qualification). There’s also been action the UEFA and CAF Champions Leagues, and of course, some leagues here in the Americas wrapped up their seasons.

I am still very much getting my feet under me for what this newsletter will become, but I am excited to keep sharing about the happenings in women’s soccer around the world.