Mohammedan Sporting Club celebrated their maiden trophy triumph of the Bangladesh Premier League after a 3-3 draw against Brothers Union in their return leg tie at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla on Friday.
Mohammedan went 1-0 down in the seventh minute as Senegalese defender Becaye Diarra scored for Brothers, but they managed to return to the game and took the lead 2-1 within the first half as defender Mehedi Hasan Mithu (25th) and Malian forward Souleymane Diabate(38th) scored once each.
Diabate extended the margin by completing his brace in the 69th before Brothers鈥� Nigerian forward Mfon Udoh (71st) and a local forward Jewel Rana (87th) scored the equalisers.
Following the match, Bangladesh Football Federation senior vice-president and professional league committee chairman Imrul Hasan handed over the trophy and medals to the joyous players and officials.
Meanwhile, former national football team keeper and captain Ashraful Islam Rana bid farewell with this match.
The 37-year-old started his club career with Mohammedan in 2014, wore gloves for the last time for Brothers.聽 He played for the Bangladesh national team in 24 matches from June 2015 to September 2022.
Mohammedan collected 39 points from 17 matches, while Brothers (27 points) are out of the contention to finish as runners-up in the 10-team league.聽
The six-time champions Abahani Limited (31 points) and the five-time champions Bashundhara Kings (28 points) are competing to finish as runners-up.
Mohammedan, who had previously finished as runners-up on four occasions since the inception of the BPL in 2007, secured the title after Abahani Limited lost to Fortis Football Club 2-1 on May 17.聽
The Motijheel-based outfit last won the country鈥檚 top-tier football league, then known as the Dhaka Premier Division League, 23 years ago in 2002.聽
This is the club鈥檚 20th top-tier league title, more than any other team in domestic football, since it was founded in 1936.聽
In the other match that day, Indian forward Ben Ibrahim Ouattara (19th, 77th) scored a brace for Fakirerpool Young Men鈥檚 Club鈥檚 2-1 victory over Dhaka Wanderers Club at the Shaheed Barkat Stadium in Gazipur.
Uzbekistani defender Khusan Ganijanov (80th) pulled one goal back for the Wanderers, who were relegated from the top-tier league following the day鈥檚 defeat.聽
Bottom-placed Chittagong Abahani were also relegated to the second-tier Bangladesh Championship League. The BCL champions Public Works Department Sports Club and the runners-up Arambagh Krira Sangha have been promoted to the top-tier league.聽