Zico the King of Independence Cup

Bashundhara Kings added another feather to their glittering crown by regaining the title of the Independence Cup with a 4-1 win on penalties over Sheikh Russel in the final in Cumilla yesterday.

Kings, who won a third straight BPL title last season but failed to win either Independence Cup or the Federation Cup, started this season with the Independence Cup title, which they had first won in their debut 2018-19 season.

It proved to be difficult task for the domestic powerhouse against a spirited Sheikh Russel side, who kept the game 2-2 in regulation and extra time before Kings goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico stood tall between the sticks during the penalty shootout.

Zico dived to his left to deny Sheikh Russel's Sohel Rana and Khalekurzaman from the spot, only failing to stop Hemanta Vincent Biswas's attempt. The national No. 1 then stepped up to convert the winning spot kick. There was a surprise as Sheikh Russel's four foreign recruits – all proven penalty takers – were not used for the tiebreaker.

Brazilian duo Robson Da Silva, Dorielton Gomes and Iranian Reza Khanzadeh converted the first three shots before man-of-the-final Zico himself converted the fourth.

All four goals had come in the first half with Miguel Ferreira and Robson scoring for Kings while Mfon Sunday Udoh and Charles Didier Coast netted for former champions Sheikh Russel.