Coming from behind, Oscar Bruzon's Bashundhara Kings fulfilled their long-cherished dream of winning the triple crown in the season for the first time, beating holders Dhaka Mohammedan SC by 2-1 goals in a nerve-shattering final at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on Wednesday afternoon.
The keenly contested final match between two teams was locked in 1-1 goals in the stipulated 90 minutes, and then the match was rolled into a 30-minute extra session to decide the champions, where the Kings dethroned Mohammedan by 2-1 goals.
Star-studded Badhundhara Kings, which clinched the BPL title for a record 5th time in a row with three matches to spare early this month after winning the Independence Cup Football title, today (Wednesday) earned a rare feat of winning a triple crown in the season for the first time.
Dhaka Mohammedan SC, which won the Federation Cup title last season after 14 years after beating six-time BPL champions Dhaka Abahani Ltd in the final in a tie-breaker, lost the final to the Kings also in a tie breaker to finish runners-up in the Federation Cup.
The first half of the day's keenly contested final was locked in a goalless position in front of a good number of local football fans.
Mohammedan SC, which found itself comparatively off-colour in the first half, reorganised themselves in the second half and made a series of attempts towards Kings’ territory one after another.
They took their fruit in the 65th minute, when Nigerian midfielder Emmanuel Sunday put the traditional black and white Mohammedans ahead with a ground-placed shot from the danger zone (1-0).
When the match was almost heading for Mohammedan's victory, then Brazilian midfielder Miguel Damasceno levelled the margin for the Kings in the 86th minute of the match with a brilliant shot from the danger zone, beating at least four opponent booters (1-1).
Super sub Zahid Hossain scored the match-winning goal for the Kings in the last minute of the first extra session with a goalmouth melee shot off a corner kick taken by Miguel Damasceno (2-1).
Mohammedan SC protested the goal decision, demanding a foul that stopped the match for about ten minutes.
In the day's nerve-shattering final, Kings’ custodian Mehdi Hasan Srabon displayed his brilliance under the bar to foil at least four good attempts, while Mohammedans custodian Sujon Hossain also saved three good opportunities.
In the ongoing season, Bashundhara Kings are enjoying an upperhand advantage over Dhaka Mohammedan SC, beating them three times against one defeat in their four meetings.
The Kings beat Mohammedan SC by 2-1 goals in the Independence Cup Football last December, but Mohammedan SC took its revenge by beating the Kings by 1-0 goal in the first phase of BPL at the Kings Arena last February.
However, Bashundhara Kings assured the BPL title for a record 5th time, beating Mohammedan SC by a 2-1 goal in Mymensingh in the 2nd week of this month, and again earned their 3rd Federation Cup title, beating 11th-time champions Mohammedan SC by 2-1 goals also in Mymensingh.
Bashundhara Kings smartly reached the final of the Federation Cup Football, eliminating Dhaka Abahani Limited by 3-0 goals in the second semifinal, while Dhaka Mohammedan SC reached the final for the 2nd successive time, beating Bangladesh Police FC by 2-1 goals in the first semifinal.
