Sabbir hat-trick headlines Kings’ rout

Sabbir Hossen struck a fine hat-trick as defending champions Bashundhara Kings bounced back from an opening-game slip to dismantle Dhaka Wanderers 7-0 on a rain-soaked pitch on Friday.

The Kings needed only 24 seconds to take the lead. Rakib Hossain swung a cross in from the right flank, and Nepali forward Manish Dangi pounced in a crowded goalmouth to poke the ball home. Sabbir doubled the advantage five minutes in, latching on to Yousuf Ali’s deep free-kick from his own half before finding the net with an angled left-foot drive.

Wanderers’ task went from difficult to impossible in first-half stoppage time when goalkeeper Jasim Uddin was sent off for handling the ball outside his area.

Sabbir made it 3-0 four minutes after the restart, running on to Robson Robinho’s incisive through ball before beating the substitute keeper with a neat chip. In a desperate bid to plug the gaps, Wanderers coach Asaduzzaman Noor pulled off the rare move of using three goalkeepers in a single match, throwing on Tanvir Ahmed for Saurav Bikram in the 63rd minute.

The change did nothing to stop the flow. Rakib earned and converted a penalty in the 69th minute after being brought down by Jobayer Ahmed. Robson then turned on the style ten minutes from time, skipping past two defenders to set up Mohammad Abdullah for a simple tap-in. The Brazilian playmaker provided another assist in the 89th minute for Rakib’s second, before Rakib turned provider in stoppage time, crossing from the right to allow Sabbir to sweep home his third.

"A hat-trick is always a matter of pride for any player, but the main thing is how the team performs," said Sabbir, who took his tally to five goals in two matches. "Who scores does not matter. As a player, you always aim high, and so do I. Let us see how far we can go."

Kings president Imrul Hassan welcomed the emphatic response following their slow start to the campaign and praised the form of his domestic striker.

"We were cautious today after dropping points in our first match," Hassan said. "The pitch was wet, and we could not field our full-strength side, so while it is a big win, we still need to improve. But seeing local players score is always encouraging. Our national team has lacked a proper number nine for a long time, so Sabbir scoring five goals in two games is a massive positive."

Hassan added that the squad is more balanced than last year as they push to win every domestic trophy, while confirming the club plans to renovate the pitch next season.

In Friday’s other matches, AFC Challenge League-bound Fortis FC thrashed Brothers Union 6-0, while City Club claimed a 2-1 win over Chittagong City FC at Gazipur's Shaheed Barkat Stadium. At Munshiganj, Rahmatganj MFS played out a 0-0 draw with PWD. Fortis hold top spot on goal difference ahead of City Club, with both sides on seven points from three games.