No history for Abahani
Bangladesh Premier League champions Abahani’s fairytale run in the AFC Cup came to an end with an 5-4 aggregate defeat against April 25 SC following a 2-0 defeat in the second leg of inter-zone semifinal playoff at the Kim II Sung Stadium in Pyongyang yesterday.
The defeat means Abahani had to be satisfied with a home win against the strong North Korean outfit, but the Sky Blues fell short of writing a piece of history of becoming the first Bangladeshi club to enter into the inter-zone final of the second-tier club tournament in Asia.
Six-time professional league champions Abahani needed a draw in their away match to confirm inter-zone final berth and they fought shoulder-to-shoulder and held their superior hosts to a goalless draw in the first half on the artificial turf.
However, the resistance broke down four minutes into the second half when substitute Kim Yu-Song found the back of the net, earning the home side an aggregate draw with a crucial away goal advantage.
Abahani, who came into the match on the back of four successive wins in the AFC Cup, tried to find their way back and there was plenty of time for them to bounce back, but the visitors suffered a big blow in the 67th minute when defender Mamun Miah was sent off.
With April 25 SC never having lost an AFC Cup match on home soil, it was always going to be tough for Abahani and the 10-man team found it hard to find a way to a goal. And they were silenced by Kim with a second goal in the 83rd minute, confirming the home side’s place in their second successive inter-zone final.
April 25 will now face Vietnam’s Hanoi FC in the inter-zone final playoffs on September 5 and October 2.
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