<i> A pleasant surprise</i>

After suffering a 4-2 defeat to Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and playing out a 2-2 draw against Rahmatganj MFS in their group-stage matches of the Independence Cup football tournament, champions Farashganj had released all their players anticipating their elimination at the early stage.
Little did they realize that luck was on their side, and it propelled the minnows into the knock-out stage on virtue of a better goal difference after group champions Sheikh Jamal had handed a 4-1 defeat to Rahmatganj in the final match of Group A. Since then the Old Dhaka Outfit never looked behind and produced one after another surprising result to emerge as champions from nowhere.
Farashganj SC, who have managed only two victories in the ongoing Bangladesh League to stay in 10th position out of 12 teams, surprisingly dispatched three-time professional league champions Abahani 3-2 in a tiebreaker, beat star-studded Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club 1-0 and newly emerging powerhouse Sheikh Russel KC 5-4 in a tiebreaker to bring the first-ever silverware in their club history since its establishment in 1959.
After entering into the Senior Division League in 1981, Farashganj have always been a middle-table team but sometimes produced stunning results against the giants, even this season, their one of two victories in the professional league was against three-time champions Abahani.
Farashganj's highest success was to play the Federation Cup semifinals twice and emerging champions in such tough tournament was beyond imagination but they finally did it with some young and energetic players as well as coach Kamal Babu.
“We gave up our hopes after playing out a 2-2 draw against Rahmatganj MFS and most of the players left the camp but they were hurriedly asked to join the camp after the Rahmatganj-Sheikh Jamal match and got only a single day before the quarterfinal match against Abahani and since then you know what happened,” said coach Kamal.
The success not only brought the Old Dhaka Outfit into the limelight, it also made young-striker Sohel Rana, goalkeeper Sujan Chowdhury and coach Kamal familiar with the wider public.
“Now my duty is to avert the relegation in the professional league and I am hopeful that this success will encourage my boys to play better in the professional league,” said Kamal.
“I was not familiar in my town of Narayanganj before this tournament, but this has actually made me famous in Narayanganj,” said the 21-year old Sohel, who was instrumental in Farashganj's success having scored three important goals.
“People in my village, Pathantole, brought out a procession on that night with my photos published in different newspapers,” said Sohel, who was called in the preliminary camp of the national team during the SA Games.
“I received a lot of phone-call from my home district, Rangpur, after the game and I dedicated this trophy to my Rangpur people,” said Sujan, who made three saves in shootout against Abahani and then thwarted two efforts from Sheikh Russel in tiebreaker in the final.
People surrounding Farashganj SC at Lalkuti on Sunday night brought out a victory procession and the club premises have been decked up with decorative lights to celebrate the triumph.
The club will also host a reception and cultural show tomorrow and disburse the promised bonuses among the players. Club president Mizanur Rahman Khan Dipu declared a prize of Tk one lakh for every player.