Sheikh Jamal's rapturous return
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club returned home last night to a rapturous welcome after clinching the prestigious King's Cup title in Bhutan the previous night.
Maruful Haque's charges, who overcame Pune FC 1-0 in an adrenaline-charged final to emerge as unbeaten champions in the nine-team tournament, were greeted with garlands upon their arrival at the airport at around 9:00pm.
Club president Manjur Kader, officials of other Dhaka clubs and Bangladesh Football Federation, greeted the victorious team members while the country's ambassador adorned them with traditional Bhutanese scarves.
Maruful said it was a tough competition and they had to overcome quite a few odds to return with the trophy.
"Firstly we needed time to get used to the high altitude and the extremely cold weather of Thimphu. People there didn't know much about us, therefore we didn't get much support in the beginning as the locals were in favour of the Indians and the Nepalese," said Maruful.
"Most of the teams were more competitive than we expected. But the players put in their full dedication and concentrated fully on their job, which is why we became the champions," added Maruful.
Yeasin Khan, the scorer of the only goal of the final, pointed to his finger, saying he still felt like he was bleeding from the cold of Thimphu. But he was happy to have come back with the trophy as the players posed for photographs and took selfies with the silverware at the VIP Lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
After the greetings and brief conversations with members of the media, the triumphant team left in a special bus, adorned with flowers, followed by a motorcade of club supporters.
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