10-man Mohammedan stun Bashundhara Kings 1-0 in Premier League clash

Defending champions Bashundhara Kings were stunned by a 1-0 defeat to Mohammedan in the second round of the Bangladesh Premier Football League on Friday.

Despite playing with only 10 players for over 70 minutes, Mohammedan held firm, with captain Souleiman Diabate scoring the only goal of the match at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Comilla.

The match took a major turn in the 25th minute when Mohammedan's goalkeeper, Mohammad Sujan, was sent off after receiving a straight red card.

In an attempt to prevent a certain goal, Sujan came out of his box to challenge Kings' forward Rakib Hossain. The two collided and fell to the ground, with Sujan judged to have fouled Rakib, leading to the red card decision.

Following this, Mohammedan substituted forward Arif for second goalkeeper Sakib Al Hasan, playing with one man down for the remainder of the match.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Mohammedan held firm and withstood multiple attacks from the Kings.

The game saw a series of thrilling moments, including a missed penalty by Mohammedan's Diabate in the 75th minute.

After Rahim Uddin was fouled inside the box by a Kings defender, Diabate stepped up to take the penalty, but Kings' goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Shrabon dived to his right to deny him.

Throughout the match, Mohammedan's defense and substitute goalkeeper Sakib Al Hasan played key roles in keeping the Kings at bay.

Sakib produced a series of superb saves, including stopping a powerful shot from Ernest Boateng in the 30th minute and another from Mohammad Sohel Rana just before halftime.

In the 54th minute, Kings' Miguel had a golden opportunity to score, but Sakib was quick to deny him with a diving save.

Just four minutes later, Mohammedan took the lead, as Rahim Uddin threaded a through ball to Diabate, who made no mistake in slotting it past Shrabon to give his side the advantage.

Despite their best efforts, Kings could not break down the resolute 10-man defence of Mohammedan. The game was marred by a number of fouls and injuries, with interruptions to play as the players struggled with the poor condition of the pitch.

This match marked a significant reversal of fortune for Mohammedan, who had previously lost to Kings in the Challenge Cup earlier this season. Kings supporters had also thrown colours during that match, resulting in a brief interruption to the game. However, Mohammedan avenged that loss and added another chapter to their rivalry with a well-deserved victory.

Mohammedan now lead the league with 6 points from two matches, while the Kings have 3 points from the same number of games.

In other action on 6 December, Rahmatganj defeated Chittagong Abahani 2-0 in Mymensingh, with both goals coming from Nabi Nawaz Jibon.