Mohammedan beat Abahani to win first Federation Cup in 14 years
Mohammedan captain Souleymane Diabate netted all four goals as the Black and Whites edged out a thrilling 4-2 win on penalties against arch-rivals and holders Abahani in Cumilla on Tuesday to win their first Federation Cup trophy in 14 years.
Mohammedan's substitute goalkeeper Ahsan Habib Bipu denied shots from Abahani captain Raphael Augusto, who stepped up to take the first penalty, and Daniel Colindres as Mohammedan, despite Shahriar Emon's miss, ensured their first trophy in nine years at the Dhirendranath Datta Stadium after the regulation and extra time ended at 4-4.
Diabate, who scored a hat-trick in the first 90 minutes, had put Mohammedan ahead from the spot in the added time of the first half of the extra time. Mohammedan midfielder Shahriar Emon found Diabate through with a perfectly timed pass before the Malian forward was tripped inside the penalty box by the Abahani goalkeeper Shahidul Alam Sohel. Diabate made no mistake as he converted a calmly taken penalty.
However, a strike from Abahani defender Rahmat Mia from outside the box in the 117th minute once again brought parity in the game, eventually sending the heavily hyped 'clasico' of the country into penalties.
The regulation time ended in a stalemate, with two sides finding the back of the net thrice. Abahani ended the first-half with a two-goal cushion, with Faisal Ahmed Fahim scoring the opener in 16th minute and Daniel Colindres adding one just minutes before the half-time whistle.
Mohammedan bounced back in the second-half when their captain Diabate scored one in the 54th minute before netting the equaliser six minutes later to spark life into the final in front of a cheerful crowd.
Emeka Ogbugh of Abahani stretched their lead once again in the 65th minute but Mohammedan captain Diabate completed his hat-trick in the 83rd minute as the game ended 3-3 in regulation time.
Following an extended lean patch, Mohammedan sealed the 2023 Federation Cup as unbeaten champions. The Black and Whites had topped their group -- ahead of Sheikh Jamal DC, Rahmatganj MFS, and AFC Uttara -- and went on to knock out Chittagong Abahani and hot-favourites Bashundhara Kings in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
Meanwhile, Abahani, who had won four Federation Cup titles in the past six seasons, finished season without any silverware for the second time since the arrival of Bashundhara Kings in the top-flight in 2018-19 season. The Sky Blues had gone trophyless in the Covid-19 pandemic-affected 2019-20 season, which only saw the Federation Cup take place.
Earlier this season, Bashundhara Kings clinched two of the three titles, having pulled off an unprecedented fourth league triumph in succession following Independence Cup glory as well.
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