Bashundhara Kings once again set the new milestone in the history of countrys domestic football as they clinched the record fifth consecutive title of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) football with three matches in hand on Saturday.
Riding on two goals of Brazilian striker Dorielton Gomes Nascimento, Bashundhara Kings won over Mohammedan Sporting Club in a 2-1 match at the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh.
A small group of fans showed up to cheer on their preferred teams that day. Still, nothing was enough to inspire the Mohammedan boys to make it their day. To be honest, the Brazilian duo, Dorielton and midfielder Miguel Ferreira, was the force that prevented Mohammedan from going up the maximum time. These two kept the Mohammedan defence so busy at home it allowed the opponents striking force less busy.
Paired up with Miguel, Brazilian striker Dorielton Gomes opened the net for Bashundhara in the 19th minute.
He struck again in the 52nd minute to double the lead. This time Sheikh Morsalin provided the pass and the Brazilian did the magic.
Although Mohammedan was finally able to find the net in the 65th minute as striker Minhajur Abedin Rakib scored one, the boys in the red and green outfits could not score one more and level the margin by the end of the match. This 22-year-old local striker Minhajur Abedin could do something if he was properly aided but, unfortunate for Mohammedan, none was capable enough to do so after dealing with opponent defence. Still, it was a good fight.
Facing off each other seven times in different tournaments before Saturday, both won three each while the remaining one was a tie.
Bashundhara Kings won the three matches by 2-0, 1-0, and 2-1 margin.
Mohammedan, on the other hand, won the first encounter of them in 2021 by 3-0 and won the rest by 2-1 and 1-0. It was Mohammedan which one won the last meet.
For Bashundhara, it was more than winning a match. It was also about preserving the honour of winning the highest stake and collecting top points.
Winning the match, Bashundhara boys piled up the point tally to 40. Mohammedan boys held on with the previously earned 28 points and second place on the point table.
It is not a good situation for Mohammedan as its arch-rival Dhaka Abahani is just two points behind on the table.
If Mohammedan cannot keep the second place in the remaining time of the race it will also lose the only opportunity to play in the AFC Cup this time. Coming days will say more.
