Bashundhara Kings claimed the Federation Cup title in breathtaking fashion at Kings Arena on Wednesday, defeating Mohammedan SC 3-2 in a five-goal final that swung one way and then the other before Brazilian forward Dorielton Gomes Nascimento settled the contest with a superb hat-trick.
It was a match trything. A stunning free kick, a penalty saved, a penalty converted, a goal disallowed for handball, a crossbar rattled, and a series of momentum shifts that kept both sets of supporters on edge until the very end.
The final had almost not taken place on this day at all. Mohammedan had initially objected to playing at Kings Arena, creating a standoff that required the Bangladesh Football Federation to intervene. The match was consequently delayed by a day, and the crowd inside the ground was noticeably smaller than the occasion deserved. What the spectators lacked in numbers, however, they more than made up for in noise, as the action on the pitch demanded their full attention from the first whistle.
For Mohammedan, the Federation Cup represented their last realistic chance of silverware following a deeply disappointing league campaign. They began the final with genuine intent, and it showed.
Uzbek midfielder Muzaffar Muzaffarov handed Mohammedan a fifth-minute lead with a goal of genuine class. Picking the ball up just outside the penalty area, he curled a diagonal shot low and hard into the far corner, leaving Kings goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon rooted to the spot with no chance of reaching it.
The lead lasted barely a minute. Kings midfielder Samuel Raksam drove into the box, and though his initial shot was parried by goalkeeper Sujon Hossain, a follow-up challenge saw Shakil Ahad Topu bundle Raksam to the ground from behind. The referee pointed to the spot despite loud protests from Mohammedan. Dorielton stepped up and sent Sujon diving the wrong way to level the scores.
Kings pressed for a second, with Rakib Hossain’s cross in the twelfth minute reaching the penalty area only to be cleared at the last moment before Dorielton could connect. From the resulting corner, Rakib eventually got the ball back and tucked it into the net, only for the referee to disallow the goal after spotting that the ball had struck teammate Sohel Rana’s arm in the build-up.
Mohammedan then had the opportunity to retake the lead in the 22nd minute when Kings captain Topu Barman fouled Shafiqul Hasan from behind inside the box. Defender Rimon Hossain earned a yellow card for disputing the decision. Muzaffarov stepped up to take the penalty but was denied by a sharp dive from Srabon, who guessed correctly and pushed the kick wide.
The save proved only a temporary reprieve for Kings. On 34 minutes, Mohammedan crafted a fine team goal to restore their advantage. Zahid Shanto cut the ball back from the right, Saiful made a clever dummy run, and the ball fell perfectly for Sourav Dewan behind him. The forward slotted a composed right-footed finish into the corner to score his seventh goal of the Federation Cup campaign.
Kings were fortunate not to fall further behind eight minutes later. Rahmat Mia intercepted the ball just beyond the halfway line and launched a long-range effort that caught Srabon slightly off his line. The goalkeeper recovered brilliantly, however, stretching a leg high to claw the ball away as he dived to his left.
In first-half stoppage time, Dorielton came agonisingly close to levelling before the break when he met a Rakib cross with a powerful header that crashed against the crossbar. Mohammedan went into the interval ahead.
Bashundhara Kings drew level within moments of the restart. Rakib slid a perfectly timed through ball in behind the Mohammedan defensive line, and Dorielton controlled it superbly before shrugging off the close attentions of Elikeke and finishing calmly across goal into the far corner.
The match entered a quieter phase, with both sides probing without creating clear-cut chances. Kings came close in the 73rd minute when Foysal Ahmed Fahim whipped in a cross from the left that found Shahriar Emon unmarked at the far post, only for the midfielder to fail to make contact with the ball at the vital moment.
The Brazilian settled the final six minutes later. A deflection off a Mohammedan defender fell kindly into his path, and Dorielton needed no second invitation. He burst into the box, remained composed as Sujon advanced to close him down, and steered a low finish past the goalkeeper. Elikeke gave chase but could not get back in time.
As the ball hit the net, Dorielton whipped off his shirt, placed it deliberately on the turf, and danced in a circle with his jubilant teammates. It was his twelfth goal of the Federation Cup campaign, and it had won Kings the title.
For Bashundhara Kings, it was their fifth Federation Cup crown and their third in succession. For Mohammedan, it was yet more heartbreak. They had entered the final with the chance to equal Abahani’s record of twelve Federation Cup titles, only to be denied once again. Their wait for a trophy, stretching back to the 2022-23 season, continues.
