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Bashundhara Kings celebrated their third consecutive title in the Bangladesh Premier League Football by defeating Abahani Limited by 3-2 at Kings Arena inside Bashundhara Residential Area on Monday.
Double-strike from Robson Robinho sealed the match for Kings after the first half ended 1-1. The Brazilian came off the bench in the second half and scored two wonderful goals to salvage his team against perennial powerhouse Abahani.
It was the first-ever face-off between the country’s most successful club Abahani and rising giant Kings at the home venue of the latter.
As the league had been decided, where Kings came on top and Abahani became runners-up, the match could have lost some colour, but the electrifying environment sparked the footballers to produce a stellar performance.
Abahani was literally just a blue dot on a red sea. The road that leads to the Kings Arena was decorated with banners and life-size pictures of the Kings players and officials. Roughly 10 thousand spectators were present in the 14,000-capacity stadium, and all were wearing the red jersey of Kings.
The mad roar and continuous chanting in the gallery soon transcended among the players as Abahani goalkeeper Shahidul Alam went on to push Nuha Marong after a foul. The players engaged in verbal battles, and it was difficult for the referee to disengage them, but the players put their hearts out to produce a nerve-wracking match.
Nuha scored the first goal of the match in 20 minutes. A precise free-kick from Miguel Ferreira found Nuha, who sent the ball to the back of the net to put Kings ahead. On the brink of half-time, Rakib Hasan equalised for Abahani with a pass from Dorielton Gomes.
Abahani started to put pressure back on Kings in the second half. They lost two great scoring opportunities. The trio of Raphael Augusto, Dorielton, and Daniel Colindres created a few good chances, but Abahani’s local players could not match up with them. A shot from Raphael was saved by Kings goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico, but there was nobody around for a rebound.
In the 57th minute, Kings head coach Oscar Brzon unleashed Robson Robinho, who replaced Tawhidul Alam Sabuz, and instantly, Kings were back in the game.
They took the lead from a counter-attack. After getting a through ball from compatriot Augusto, Robson entered the danger zone from the right flank and sent the ball to the back of the net with a powerful right-footed kick.
But the final nail in the coffin was put by Robinho after a brilliant move by Hamidur Rahman Rimon. He jumped over a charging defender to keep the ball, then ran through the left flank and released a wonderful pass to Robinho, who dodged the goalkeeper with a chip to make it 3-1.
Kings conceded a penalty in the dying minutes after Mashuk Miah handled the ball inside his box. Raphael’s penalty was saved by Anisur, but the Brazilian managed to score on the rebound.
Players, their families, fans, and officials celebrated the third title with a great victory followed by a musical concert and fireworks. The only thing missing was the trophy.
Kings made a plea to the Bangladesh Football Federation to hand over the trophy after the match on Monday, but the BFF denied it as the last round is yet to be played.
A great win in front of a stadium full of fans over the conventional powerhouse, Kings had everything on Monday evening, except the trophy. The silverware could add some extra shine to the royal celebration.
