Bashundhara Kings bounced back from a goal down to defeat Mohammedan Sporting Club 3-1 in the curtain-raiser of the 2024-25 domestic football season.
The match, part of the Bangladesh 2.0 Challenge Cup 2024-25, Powered by Bashundhara Group, was held at the packed Bashundhara Kings Arena on Friday.
Malian forward and Captain Souleymane Diabate handed the lead to Mohammedan with a header off a cross from Nigerian forward Sunday Chukwuemeka Emmanuel in the 7th minute of the match.
Kings broke the deadlock after 66 minutes when unmarked defender Tapu Barman scored an equalizer off a corner from Brazilian midfielder and Captain Miguel Figueira in the 73rd minute.
After 8 minutes, Miguel sent another impactful cross inside the box that helped forward Foysal Ahmed Fahim to double the margin with an impressive acrobatic volley in the 81st minute.
Miguel, who assisted twice too, finally scored the third to seal the fate of the match with a left-footer grounder inside the 90+5th minute.
Kings, recently got a big blow in the AFC Challenge League (ACL) 2024-25 as they lost to Nejmeh Sporting Club of Lebanon by 0-1, East Bengal Football Club of India by 0-4 and Paro Football Club of Bhutan by 1-2 goals, started the season with a new hope, expectation and goal.
Last season’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Federation Cup champions, Bashundhara Kings, hosted Federation Cup 2022-23 champions Mohammedan in a single-leg match.
The game was dedicated to the martyrs of the July-August movement, which led to the end of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
