Bashundhara Kings’ perfect record against Maldivian teams came to an end yesterday when they lost 3-1 at Maziya S&RC in Male in the first AFC Cup match of the season.
The four-time Bangladesh Premier League winners, who had already won against the same team twice and TC Sports once in the AFC Cup, lost for the first time in Male, even though they had more control of the ball, passed it better, and made more shots.
Kings had five foreign players, while Maziya had six. Kings’ center forward Dorielton Gomez missed a few early chances, but Vojislav Balabanovic scored for Kings with a 35-yard thunderbolt in the 15th minute.
The Bangladesh champs kept controlling the game, with Rakib Hossain and Robson Robinho making chances to score. However, against the run of play, Hassan Nazeem scored a shot from the top of the box to give Maziya a 2-0 lead.
Ali Fasir, a veteran Maldivian forward, scored the third goal with a smart finish on a through ball in the first minute of extra time. Two minutes later, Mohammad Ibrahim, a replacement, scored a consolation goal.
On October 2, Oscar Bruzon’s team will play their second game of the tournament against Odisha FC of India at the Bashundhara Kings Arena.