Abahani’s attack misfires as Brothers Union claim crucial win

Abahani Limited’s difficult season continued on Tuesday as they suffered a narrow 1–0 defeat to Brothers Union in their Federation Cup ‘A’ Group fourth-round match at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla.

Abahani, who began their Federation Cup campaign in October with a 4–2 victory over Fakirerpool Youngmen’s Club, started the match strongly and pressed high from the outset. However, their attacking efforts proved futile as they failed to find the net.

In the 27th minute, Monir Alam produced a stunning long-range strike from nearly 30 yards, sending the ball past the leaping goalkeeper and into the net. That lone goal proved decisive, as Brothers Union held on for a memorable victory.

In the second half, Abahani’s attackers—including Souleymane Diabate, Al Amin, and Mohammad Ibrahim—pushed desperately for an equaliser, but the disciplined defence of Brothers Union denied them any breakthrough.

With one win and one draw from two matches, Brothers Union now top Group A with four points.

In the day’s other match, PWD defeated Fakirerpool Youngmen’s Club 2–0 at the Bashundhara Kings Arena, Dhaka, moving into second place in the group with three points from one match. Abahani, meanwhile, also have three points from two matches (one win and one loss) and sit third due to having played an extra game, leaving them under pressure to revive their season.