Dhaka: Mohun Bagan Super Giant suffered their first defeat in the AFC Cup as they went down 2-1 against Bashundhara Kings at the Bashundhara Kings Arena here on Tuesday.
The Mariners took the lead in the opening half with Liston Colaco’s goal in the 17th minute, but the hosts equalized just before the end of the first half when Miguel Figueira scored a brilliant goal in the 44th minute.
Robinho secured the winning goal for the home side in the 80th minute, adding excitement to the group table.
The game started with both sides testing each other’s defences in the early minutes.
In the 17th minute, the Kings’ goalkeeper failed to catch Jason Cummings’ cross, and Colaco made a sweet connection on the rebound to put the visitors ahead.
Minutes later, Dorielton Nascimento had a great opportunity to level the score, but the Brazilian ballooned his effort from inside the box.
Mohun Bagan SG continued to break the opposition’s defence on the counter-attack, and in the 34th minute, the Kings’ keeper made a terrific double save to keep his team in the game.
As the first half was coming to an end, Kings looked more desperate, and in the 44th minute, Didier set up Figueira, who rattled the net with a superb strike on a half-turn.
The home side dominated the entire second half, launching a string of attacks.
At the hour mark, Robinho burst through the MBSG defence and played it forward for winger Rakib Hossain, who drew a save from Vishal Kaith with his effort.
Bashundhara Kings intensified their attacking strength as the game progressed in the second half, and in the 80th minute, Dorielton laid off for Robinho, who calmly placed the ball in the back of the net to secure three crucial points for his side.
Both Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Bashundhara Kings now have seven points from four games.
The Mariners will now take on Odisha FC in their penultimate AFC Cup 2023-24 Group D match at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on November 27, while Bashundhara Kings face Maldives’ Maziya S & RC.
