The National Football Championship lived up to its reputation with a breathtaking final. Dinajpur defeated Sirajganj 3-2 in an intense contest to lift the trophy. At one point, Dinajpur were comfortably ahead by two goals, but Sirajganj staged a strong comeback to level the match 2-2. The game eventually headed into extra time, where Dinajpur scored the decisive goal. Despite creating several clear chances, Sirajganj failed to capitalize, allowing Dinajpur to walk away as champions.
Dinajpur Takes Early Control in Thrilling Final
Dinajpur went ahead in the 13th minute through a header from captain Sagar Mohanta. A precise cross from Yasin Ali found Sagar in front of the goal, and he made no mistake. Although Sirajganj pressed constantly, they could not equalize before halftime, trailing 1-0 at the break.
In the 60th minute, Pradeep Soren doubled Dinajpur’s lead with a powerful free kick from outside the box. But Sirajganj hit back quickly—Ujjal Hossain scored a superb individual goal two minutes later, cutting inside from the left before slotting the ball past goalkeeper Masud Rana.
Sirajganj grew stronger after the goal and created multiple chances. They finally equalized 2-2 in stoppage time when Hasan Ali converted a penalty, sending the match into extra time.
Extra Time Decider and Reactions
Sirajganj had the chance to take the lead early in extra time but failed to finish. Dinajpur punished them in the 11th minute when Yasin Ali scored with a brilliant volley to restore the lead. Sirajganj created more opportunities in the final minutes but were undone by poor finishing, settling for the runners-up spot.
Yasin, the match-winner, shared his excitement after the victory:
“𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒕 2-2, 𝒘𝒆 𝒌𝒆𝒑𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆.”
He further added,
“𝑴𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒈. 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒐, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅.”
Dinajpur, despite being a historically prominent district, had never won the national title before. Coach Shamim Ahmed praised his team’s resilience, explaining that he changed tactics in extra time by adding an extra midfielder—a move that paid off.
The final was inaugurated by Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, and the trophy was handed over by Sports Ministry Secretary Mahbub ul Alam. BFF President Tabith Awal and other federation officials were also present.
The BFF organized the national championship after a three-year break. The committee expressed satisfaction at successfully completing the tournament despite challenges such as venue issues across districts. They pledged to strengthen district-level football further in the future.
During the press briefing, the BFF president avoided detailed answers about coach Javier Cabrera’s salary and ticketing issues for the Bangladesh-India match, stating that these would be discussed later.
The Sports Ministry also reiterated plans for a dedicated football stadium in Purbachal. Although discussions have been ongoing for years, progress remains slow. For now, the football community waits to see how long it will take for the project to move forward.
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