Kings stun Al-Karamah to move into AFC Challenge League group stage

A first-half strike from Nigerian forward Emmanuel Sunday steered Bashundhara Kings into the group stage of the AFC Challenge League with a 1-0 win over Syria's Al-Karamah SC in the preliminary round in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.

The triumph over the eight-time Syrian league champions -- also former AFC Champions League and AFC Cup runners-up -- secured Kings' place in the group stage of an AFC competition for the fifth successive time. However, this was their first appearance in the preliminary round of the AFC Challenge League, having earned the spot after Mohammedan SC were deemed ineligible despite qualifying, due to licensing issues.

Kings now remain Bangladesh's sole representative in the competition, after Abahani suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Muras United FC of Kyrgyzstan earlier in the day.

Before the high-voltage clash, the five-time Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) champions had seemingly been on the back foot. Just a week and a half earlier, Kings president Imrul Hassan confirmed that Brazilian coach Sergio Farias would join the club and was expected to arrive in Qatar to take charge ahead of the AFC campaign. However, in a surprising turn of events, Iraqi club Duhok SC posted pictures on social media on Monday confirming Farias' signing.

Determined to reach the final round, Kings were boosted by four foreign starters in the game -- Brazilian forward Dorielton Gomes, Brazilian midfielder Raphael Augusto, and Nigerian duo Emmanuel Sunday and Emmanuel Tony -- who all played key roles in the victory. Their familiarity with local players, gained from years in the BPL, proved valuable. England-based Cuba Mitchell also made his debut for Kings, making an appearance off the bench.

Kings started brightly in front of a small group of expatriate fans when Rakib Hossain whipped in a cross for Dorielton Gomes, who failed to connect with his bicycle attempt in the third minute.

The breakthrough came just three minutes later. Emmanuel Sunday showed a touch of brilliance, controlling Emmanuel Tony's strike before backheeling the ball into the net from a corner in the sixth minute.

The first half was evenly contested, with Kings creating more scoring chances despite Al-Karamah's superior ball possession. Kings nearly doubled the lead three minutes before the break, but Raphael Augusto's shot went straight to the goalkeeper.

After the restart, Al-Karamah dominated possession but struggled to break down Kings' solid defence. Goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon produced a couple of fine saves to keep his side ahead.

Rakib Hossain and substitute Faisal Ahmed Fahim both came close to scoring, but their efforts were either saved or narrowly missed the target.

Al-Karamah pushed hard for an equaliser, but apart from a Samod Kadiri header that was tipped over the bar by Srabon, they failed to seriously threaten as Kings held on for the win.