With victory in their respective semifinals today, Bashundhara Kings and Mohammedan Sporting Club advanced to the Independence Cup final.
The defending champions, Kings, defeated Abahani 4-0 at the Bashundhara Kings Arena, while Mohammedan defeated Rahmatganj MFS 1-0 at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj.
On Monday, the final will be held at Gopalganj.
The record three-time champions Mohammedan will compete in their first Independence Cup final in nine years, while the Bashundhara Kings will compete in their fourth consecutive final.
Mohammedan had a modest advantage over Rahmatganj, who were playing without their head coach in the dugout. However, the Old Dhaka outfit were able to keep the Black and Whites at bay in the first half before Muzaffarov’s 72nd minute freekick destroyed Rahmatganj’s chances of reaching their first Independence Cup final.
Meanwhile, the Bashundhara Kings were not completely dominant in the first half, as Abahani, led by Diego Cruciani, had a lot of scoring chances. Goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon, on the other hand, was in great form between the sticks for the Kings, keeping the reigning champions in the game in the first half.
After the half, Sohel Rana scored a deflected goal in the 48th minute, marking his first goal for the Kings. Five minutes later, Dorielton Gomez extended Kings’ lead by tapping home a wonderfully crafted set-up from Rakib Hossain.
In the 77th minute, Miguel Figueira’s header on a cross from Saad Uddin made it 3-0, and Robson Robinho finished the sweep with a penalty kick in the 89th minute, despite the decision seemed severe.
Kings’ 4-0 win over their main domestic rivals will help them recover from being eliminated from the AFC Cup group stage in controversial way last week.