Bashundhara Kings became only the second Bangladeshi club to complete a domestic treble as they beat defending champions Mohammedan Sporting Club by 2-1 in the final of the Federation Cup at the Rofique Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on Wednesday.
The Kings have now completed the set of Premier League, the Independence Cup and the Federation Cup for the 2023-24 season.
Sheikh Russel KC was the first team to complete a domestic treble back in 2012-13 season.
The match was filled with attacks and counterattacks, with both teams playing enjoyable football. However, Mohammedan created comparatively more goal-scoring opportunities. The Kings weren’t far behind either.
But Mohammedan took the lead early in the second half thanks to Emmanuel Sunday’s strike in the 63rd minute. The match seemed to be going to Mohammedan’s way until Kings’ midfielder Miguel Ferreira scored in the 87th minute to equalise and take the game to extra time.
The first half of the extra time was tiring for both sides. Kings earned a corner late in the first half and Zahid Hossain who came on as a substitute in the second half, scored a goal against his former team to give Kings a 2-1 lead.
The goal proved to be match-winning but it caused controversy in the middle.
Mohammedan appealed for a foul on their goalkeeper and they even threatened to forfeit the match. But the replay clearly showed there was no foul on Mohammedan’s keeper Sujan Hossain from any Bashundhara player. If anything, Mohammedan’s skipper Souleymane Diabate was in the way of Sujan.
Miguel Ferreira was adjudged the player of the final. Kings’ Robinho was adjudged the player of the tournament.
Kings defeated Mohammedan 2-1 in Mymensingh on 11 May 2024, to win their sixth BPL title. They defeated the same topponent by the same margin in the Independence Cup final in Gopalganj on 18 December 2023.
Making their debut in the country’s top-tier competitions in 2018, Kings have bagged 10 titles so far in six seasons, all under the tutelage of Spanish coach Oscar Bruzon.
They won their first of five straight league titles in their inaugural season in the Bangladesh Premier League in 2019, but the next edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and they were unstoppable in the following four editions, winning in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
