Mohammedan Sporting Club finished their Bangladesh Premier League 2023-24 season as the runners-up when they came from behind to down Abahani Limited 2-1 in the final matchday of the tournament at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani Stadium in Gopalganj on Wednesday.
Forward Arif Hossain scored the 90th-minute winner to secure the second-place finish for Mohammedan.
Earlier this month, Bashundhara Kings secured their fifth consecutive BPL title with two matches to spare as they beat their sole competitor Mohammedan in their home den in Mymensingh.
Third-placed Abahani took this chance to catch up with their arch-rivals whom they had been trailing by three points with a huge 7-1 win over 10-men Brothers Union.
It all came down to the last round of play as the teams vying for the spot had to face off against each other to determine the runners-up of the tournament. Both teams entered the pitch being tied on 32 points each. A draw would have been enough for the most decorated club in Bangladesh’s football history as they had the advantage of having a better goal difference while Abahani needed a win.
The all-important match started in Gopalganj with both teams going all-out from the start and the pace of the game kept shifting from one side of the pitch to the other.
However, Abahani were the first to strike as they took the lead within the 12th minute of the match. Abahani’s Brazilian recruit Bruno Rocha scored a beautiful header from Jamal Bhuiyan’s curving corner kick and Mohammedan goalkeeper Sujon Hossain could do nothing but watch the ball go inside.
After conceding the goal, Mohammedan started playing more aggressively and they found the result in the 29th minute when forward Arif scored the equalizer. Mohammedan’s Uzbek midfielder Muzaffor Muzaffarov took a curving corner kick which found Souleymane Diabate whose header was denied by Abahani goalkeeper Pappu Hossain. Arif found the ball in space and finished with a tap-in.
In the last minute of the regular time, Arif Hossain again came to the rescue for Mohammedan SC, scoring the winner in the 90th minute of the match.
In the day's other match, Bashundhara Kings, which clinched the Bangladesh Premier League Football title for a record fifth consecutive time with three matches spare, came from behind to beat Sheikh Russel KC by 3-1 goals at their home ground, the Bashundhara Kings Arena, on Wednesday afternoon.
Servian forward V Balabanovic put the Sheikh Russel KC ahead in the 14th minute of the match, while Brazilian midfielder Miguel Figueira Damasceno levelled the margin for the Bashundhara Kings in the 47th minute.
Local forward Rakib Hossain scored the second goal for the Kings in the 76th minute (2-1), while promising striker Sheikh Morsalin sealed the fate of the match by scoring the third goal for the Kings in the 78th minute.
After the day's league matches, Bashundhara Kings secured 45 points from 18 matches to be the league champions, earning 10 points more than their nearest rivals and league runners-up Mohammedan SC, which bagged 35 points from 18 encounters.
In the day's other matches, Fortis FC defeated Chittagong Abahani Ltd by 3-1 goals, Rahmatganj MFS beat Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club by 2-0 goals, and Bangladesh Police FC defeated relegated side Brothers Union Club by 2-0 goals at different venues across the country on Wednesday.
