Emdad Rahman
SYLHET HAVE retained the District Cup after a tense final which went to a penalty shootout. It was a repeat of the 2017 final, which saw Sylhet also lose their group opener against fellow finalists Sunamgonj.
After a stalemate during normal time, Anamul Hoque’s men lost the momentum as Saim Hussain struck the crossbar. Sylhet stopper and man of the match Helal Uzzaman saved from Shahin before Mohibur Rahman kept his cool to tap home the decisive cup winning penalty.
After the trophy was lifted by Captain Repon Chowdhury and Aminul Hoque, jubilant Sylhet Manager Anamul Hoque commented, “It’s been an energy sapping day. The character within the team is immense and our resilience paid off. Well done to the squad on this achievement and huge thanks to my assistant Kamal Chowdhury, team physiotherapist Abdul Hakim and the Sylhet District committee for their backing.”
Sonali Othith Chair Jamal Uddin added, “We again saw a great advert for community football. Credit goes out to all players for producing such excellent football. I’d also like to say thank you to the sponsors who make these occasions possible and my team for their immense voluntary dedication.”
In the battle of the seniors, a blood and thunder game saw the results reversed as Sunamgonj over 50s beat Sylhet over 50s on penalties with Sonali Othith Chair Jamal Uddin scoring the winning penalty for the second successive season.
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