Sports
After 36 years, Canada has to wait longer for World Cup win
O Canada, the wait remains.
Alphonso Davies had the chance to score his nation’s first-ever World Cup goal, to grab a quick lead on Belgium. As Davies readied for the spot kick in the 11th minute after a hand ball, red-clad Canadian fans at the other end of Ahmed bin Ali Stadium buzzed in anticipation for a moment decades in the making.
“You’re carrying the weight of a nation: 36 years of waiting — longer than 36 for our first goal,” coach John Herdman said.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois guessed correctly to dive right and batted Davis’ attempt with his forearm. The ball bounced away, and the Canadians never got any closer to scoring.
Despite dominating the world’s second-ranked team in Canada’s first World Cup match since 1986, the Canadians fell to Belgium 1-0 Wednesday night as Michy Batshuayi scored on a quick counter in the 44th minute.
Davies did not speak with media after the game.
“He’s our star player. He’s one of the best players in the world. He’ll move on and he’ll have another chance and he’ll bury it,” midfielder Jonathan Osorio said. “There was also the best goalkeeper in the world in net he had to put it past.”
Courtois had studied video of Davies.
Read more: FIFA World Cup 2022: Mystery behind Saudi Arabia’s Win Against Argentina
“He shot twice that side, so that’s why I decided to go that way,” Courtois said.
A large part of the crowd of 40,432 in the Arabian desert stadium supported Canada.
Many waved the Maple Leaf and they proudly sang “O Canada” before the match.
“Goosebumps,” Osorio said. “Times are changing in this country for this sport. I was little bit surprised. It’s not a close trip from Canada to get here. It shows you how much support we have, how much the fans love football, how much people love football in Canada. This is a change in the history of this sport in this country. It felt like a home game. And I think Belgium felt like an away game.”
Players brought along the sword they carried around Central America and the Caribbean during qualifying, which is inscribed “Nihil timendum est (Fear nothing).”
Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield spoke with the team before the match.
Atiba Hutchinson, at 39, became the oldest non-goalkeeper to start a World Cup match.
Even though Canada dropped to 0-4 in the World Cup, players felt proud and felt they had momentum going into Sunday’s game against Croatia, the losing finalist in the 2018 World Cup. Croatia opened with a 0-0 draw against Morocco.
“They walk away proud, I’m sure, proud of the feeling that we’re a football nation,” Herdman said. “We came into that game with a couple of goals. The first goal was to play fearless, and the second goal was to entertain. We had some other goals, which were to create some firsts, but we weren’t quite up to those moments."
He gathered players on the field after the final whistle.
Read more: FIFA World Cup 2022: Messi seeks history with Argentina
“I was really passionate in the circle,” Herdman said, recounting what he told them. “I thought that was a big step for this country. We deserve to be here. You’ve shown that. You’ve shown that you can live here.”
FIFA World Cup 2022: Young Spain rout experienced Costa Rica 7-0
Spain's young squad got off to a high-scoring start at the World Cup, routing an experienced Costa Rica 7-0 at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on Wednesday night.
Not long after Japan surprised Germany 2-1 in the other Group E match, Spain avoided any chance of an upset with Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres scoring a goal each in the first 31 minutes.
Torres, Gavi, Carlos Soler and Alvaro Morata added to the lead in the second half.
Read more: Luis Enrique more than just a coach for Torres
Olmo's goal was the 100th at World Cups for Spain, who became the sixth nation to score more than 100 times in the tournament. Also, it was the first time Spain had scored seven goals in a World Cup match.
With 18-year-old Gavi and 19-year-old Pedri starting, Spain became the first European nation with two teenagers in the starting lineup of a World Cup match in 60 years, according to statistics platform Opta. "Gavi then became the youngest goal scorer at the World Cup since Pelé in the 1958 final."
Gavi and Pedri were among the many youngsters picked by Spain coach Luis Enrique in a revamped squad in Qatar – the third-youngest team among the 32 nations, after the US and Ghana. The young duo helped Spain control the pace of the match from the start at the Al Thumama Stadium.
Costa Rica looked overwhelmed from the start in its third straight World Cup campaign. They came to Qatar hoping to repeat their surprise run to the quarterfinals in 2014 in Brazil, and avoid a repeat of their participation four years ago in Russia when they were eliminated in the group stage after not winning any matches.
Spain, which did not get past the round of 16 in Russia, are trying to break through with a major title after making it to the final of the Nations League and the semifinals of last year's European Championship. This year the team also qualified for the Final Four of the Nations League for a second straight time.
Spain's last major triumph came at Euro 2012, two years after they had won their lone World Cup title in South Africa.
Only five countries scored more goals than Spain at the World Cup – Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and France.
After this match, Spain are at the top of the points table of Group E and Japan are right behind them.
Read more: Spain Squad analysis for 2022 World Cup
Germany players cover mouths at World Cup in FIFA protest
Germany’s players covered their mouths for their team photo before their opening World Cup match in an apparent rebuke of FIFA’s clampdown on plans to wear armbands to protest discrimination in host nation Qatar.
The team lined up in the traditional formation before Wednesday’s game against Japan and each of the 11 players covered their mouth with their right hand.
It seemed to be a response to FIFA’s warning to the seven European federations, including Germany’s, that players would be penalized if they wore colorful “One Love” armbands as a symbol for inclusion and diversity. The seven team captains had planned to wear the armbands.
Read more: What is ‘One Love’ armband and why is FIFA against it in World Cup 2022?
Qatar has been under scrutiny for its human rights record and laws criminalizing homesexuality.
Soccer’s governing body issued the warning Monday just hours before the first teams were set to play with their captain wearing the armband. FIFA said the players would immediately be shown a yellow card.
Germany coach Hansi Flick and soccer federation president Bernd Neuendorf were among those to criticize FIFA’s decision.
Neuendorf has called the warning “another low blow” from FIFA. The governing body hasn’t commented on Wednesday’s gesture by the Germans.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who is also responsible for sports, wore a “One Love” armband in the stands at the Germany-Japan game. Faeser tweeted a photo of herself wearing it with the hashtag #OneLove.
News agency DPA reported Faeser had the armband on under a pink blazer that she took off during the first half.
Faeser was sitting beside FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the game.
Read more: FIFA’s punishment threat forces European team captains to abandon ‘One Love’ armbands
Earlier, Faeser criticized Qatar for forcing a German fan to remove a rainbow-colored armband and headband at another game.
“This is not in line with my understanding of the security guarantees that I was given by the (Qatari) interior minister,” Faeser said. “Security must apply to all people. I’m very disappointed about this.”
The rainbow flag is a widely used as a symbol of tolerance with regard to sexual diversity.
Faeser said in her opinion “such symbols should be openly shown.”
Qatar World Cup: Japan stun Germany 2-1
The tale of upsets at the Qatar World Cup 2022 continues as the Samurai Army of Japan beat Germany 2-1 in the first game in Group E.
Germany dominated the proceedings in the first half, with quite a few chances hurled at the Japanese goal. A foul by goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda on David Raum handed Germany their penalty, which was converted by Ilkay Gundogan on the half-hour mark.
Read More: FIFA World Cup 2022: Mystery behind Saudi Arabia’s Win Against Argentina
The second half had a completely different show for us as Japan fought back fiercely and earned themselves an equalizer through substitute Ritsu Doan in the 75th minute.
The upset was well and truly written in the 83rd minute when Germany-based Takuma Asano scored the winning goal after an error from Nico Schlotterbeck to put Japan ahead 2-1.
Dogged defensive performance and some brilliant goalkeeping by Shuichi Gonda made sure Japan got all three points in the Group E opener.
Key Performances
Ilkay Gundogan: The German goalkeeper, Gundogan, had quite a few chances, which were kept out by the Japanese defense. Misses which came back to haunt him.
Jamal Musiala: The youngster was excellent and showed glimpses of magic through his brilliant footwork, but the end product was ultimately lacking.
Takuma Asano: The former Arsenal forward changed the game when he came on as a substitute and ended up scoring the winning goal for the Samurai Blue.
Hiroki Sakai: The experienced fullback played brilliantly and was a menace on the right side, creating overloads and chances for his team in the second half.
Shuichi Gonda: Japan's No. 1 made amends through his shot-stopping and ensured that the game would go down in Japanese history.
Read More: Qatar World Cup: Croatia vs Morocco match ends in goalless draw
Aftermath
Japan are on top of Group E, while Germany sit on the bottom, as Spain and Costa Rica are yet to play. Germany's chances of finishing first in Group E at the Qatar World Cup are now in jeopardy following their 2-1 loss to Japan. Germany will play their next game against Spain on November 28, while Japan will take on Costa Rica on November 27.
FIFA World Cup 2022: Mystery behind Saudi Arabia’s Win Against Argentina
First upset in the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup. Saudi Arabia surprised the football world by beating Argentina by 2-1 goal. No one thought this would happen. But that's what happened.
Argentina started the match with an unbeaten 36 games streak. The last time they lost a match was against Brazil in the 2019 Copa America semifinals. After that, they won 25 games and drew 11 games in the last 2 years. According to history, only Italy has a record of 37 unbeaten matches.
Argentina could have touched Italy's record if they won or even drawn against Saudi Arabia. But Argentina's unbeaten streak has been finished finally. So, what gives 51-ranked Saudi Arabia so much energy to beat ranked 3rd Argentina? Let's see the mystery!
Read More: ‘They robbed us with 3 goals disallowed in the first half’
Mystery Behind the Most Sensational Upset Caused by Saudi Arabia
Well, Argentina is one of the strongest teams and contenders for the title in this World Cup. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia is a weak team compared to Argentina, but they surprised the world eventually. How did they do it?
Super Active Coach
When it comes to international football, Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard is a kind of legend with 23 years of coaching career experience. Over the years, he worked with 13 teams and won two major trophies, which include two Africa Cup of Nations with two different teams, Zambia and Ivory Coast.
Renard's strategy worked in the match when Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari scored goals in a five-minute attacking storm at the beginning of the second half.
Read More: Are Argentina still genuine contenders?
Goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais
Apart from two goals by Saleh and Salem, one more person is credited with winning the match. He is Mohammed Al-Owais. You can consider him as "The Great Wall of China" of the Saudi Arabian goalpost. He had the biggest contribution to this victory of Saudi.
He stood under the goalpost like a mountain and stopped all attacks. Messi could not defeat him except for one penalty and three offsides in the whole game. Argentina's seven attacks were blocked one by one. Leonel Messi didn't have a chance to score the second goal over Al-Owais, who stood 6 feet 2 inches.
Argentina's five goal attempts failed one by one because of this "Superman." Saudi Arabia beat Argentina for the first time, thanks to his remarkable saves. Due to his outstanding performance, he received the man of the match award.
Read More: Fracturing jaw during World Cup match vs Argentina, Saudi footballer al-Shahrani says he’s ok
Al-Owais played for the first time in the 2018 World Cup. But he played in one match against Uruguay. The Saudi goalkeeper proved his skill in the first match of this year's World Cup.
At the start of the game, Al-Owais showed that his team could rely on him when he blocked Messi's left-foot shot from inside the box by jumping to the right. Otherwise, Argentina would have gotten the lead at the beginning of the game.
At the end of the match, Argentina became desperate to repay the goal. However, Al-Owasis stopped one attack after another and stopped two certain goals in stoppage time. Among them, Julián Álvarez got the best chance of the match in 101 minutes. But Al-Owasis took control of the ball with a high jump.
Read More: From Jordan to Qatar, Arab fans celebrate Saudi victory over favourite Argentina
Offside Trap
According to coach Herve Renard's strategy, Saudi Arabia kept their offside trap active for 90 minutes. Saudi Arabia showed a surprise by using the offside trap brilliantly. Messi-Martinez has repeatedly stepped into this trap. Due to this, Argentina could not increase the gap even after scoring two more goals in the first half.
After Messi, Lautaro Martinez's double goal was disallowed. Argentina had to remain upset in the second half due to the regret of 3 goals that were canceled for offside in the first half. Despite scoring 4 goals in the whole match, Argentina did not win against Saudi Arabia.
Messi scored a goal in the 22nd minute. But the linesman had already raised the flag and said it was offside. Lautaro Martinez scored in the 28th minute. But this time, also due to VAR, it was shown that he was offside.
Read More: ‘Now's the time to be more united than ever’: Messi after Argentina's shocking defeat to Saudi Arabia
So, the goal was canceled. In the 34th minute, Argentina got the ball into the Saudi net once again. But before that, the side referee informed - it was offside. And these offsides were Saudi Arabia's strategy behind the historic win. With this trap, they did not have to guard the star players.
Throughout the game, Argentina has been caught for seven offsides, which is more than any team at the 2018 World Cup or this World Cup so far.
A Solid Game Plan
Renard's team tore up the strategy script. All the Saudi players were direct, pressed high, and physical and eventually got into Argentina's faces. Although Saudis' defensive shape may look a bit erratic, it helps them to get the ball back. This tactic helped them win the ball higher up the pitch, which allowed them to create opportunity and space. This also unsettles the Argentine midfield.
Read More: Qatar World Cup: Saudi Arabia's stunning victory end Argentina's 36-match winning streak
Ultimately, the Saudis showed bravery by coming in an unbelievably high line against an attacking trio of Messi, Di Maria, and Martinez. This bravery was responsible for winning the ball in the middle of the field, which eventually led to the forward push in Argentina's defense.
Final Words
With this win against Argentina, Saudi Arabia surely get a boost in their confidence. They will play their next match against Poland on November 26. Now, it is time to see if Argentina can come back strong. This defeat will surely be written in Argentina's history of the World Cup.
Ronaldo's next club options after leaving Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo has left Manchester United with immediate effect. Where will he turn up next?
The Portugal star has put himself on the market with his explosive pre-World Cup interview that led to the termination of his contract on Tuesday.
As a free agent, the 37-year-old forward now has the chance to impress potential suitors and prove he can still perform on the highest level for his country in Qatar.
His future may well depend on it after failing to secure a transfer to a Champions League club in the summer.
Midway through the season, his options look even more limited if he is set on playing in the knockout stages of European club soccer’s top competition when he returns from the World Cup.
The Champions League is now down to the last 16 teams, with only a tiny number of those able to come close to offering Ronaldo anything like the reported 500,000 pounds (594,000 dollars) a week salary he earned at United. And there has been little evidence that they would be interested in signing him.
Ronaldo’s interview with Piers Morgan, in which he criticized United manager Erik ten Hag and the club’s owners, made it clear he still believes he is one of the top soccer players on the planet. But where in the world will his career take him next?
A CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CLUB
There are only 16 to choose from if Ronaldo harbors ambitions of playing in the competition when it resumes in February. Then it is a question of who would could afford him.
A dream scenario would be to have one last fling with a truly elite club. But perhaps his best chance of that would be as a short-term fix until the end of the season.
Read more: Ronaldo begins fifth, probably final World Cup with match against Ghana Thursday
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been ruled out of the World Cup with injury and so has Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane.
Perhaps Ronaldo would be an attractive emergency option if either of those clubs feared being left short in the second half of the campaign.
A PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB
Chelsea considered a move in the summer, but that never materialized.
Ronaldo would not appear to fit in with the long-term planning of new manager Graham Potter, who is already having to deal with one ageing striker in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Arsenal fan Piers Morgan is pushing for a move to his club, but the Premier League leader has invested in building a young team under manager Mikel Arteta and Ronaldo would be a departure from that.
Could Saudi-backed Newcastle be tempted to make a first truly statement signing under its new ownership?
A RETURN HOME
To finish his career where it started at Sporting Lisbon would provide a romantic bookend for Ronaldo, while the Portuguese club could provide him with a route back to the Champions League next season.
He would have to take a considerable pay cut if he were to take up this option.
SAUDI ARABIA
The only serious interest in Ronaldo in the summer came from Saudi Arabia. While a move there would likely present the most lucrative option for him, it would be a marked step down in terms of his remaining sporting ambition.
Read more: Ronaldo's career at Manchester United may be over
It would deny him the chance to further extend his record as the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League, with 140 goals, and hand his great rival Lionel Messi, who has 129, the chance to overtake him.
MLS
Perhaps it is time to take his brand to the United States and become the biggest star ever to play in MLS.
He could not hope to match his salary and he would have to accept his days playing in the Champions League are over.
But for a man who has more than half a billion followers on Instagram this would be the chance to move to the biggest market in the world off the field - and a new adventure.
Ronaldo begins fifth, probably final World Cup with match against Ghana Thursday
Cristiano Ronaldo is in the shop window as he starts his fifth and probably final World Cup with Portugal.
As of late Tuesday, the 37-year-old forward was without a club after Manchester United canceled his contract as a result of his explosive interview criticizing manager Erik ten Hag, the club’s owners and many of his United teammates.
Ronaldo doesn’t appear to have a new team lined up so his performances at the World Cup might yet convince potential employers to take the plunge on the five-time world player of the year, who may be past his prime but remains one of soccer’s most lethal finishers on his day.
Speaking before the announcement that he had left United by mutual consent, Ronaldo was adamant that club matters would not impact his displays for Portugal at the World Cup and were not disrupting the atmosphere in the squad heading into Thursday’s group game against Ghana at Stadium 974 in Doha.
That might need revisiting now. The motivation of winning the World Cup for the first time is likely driving Ronaldo enough in Qatar, but impressing a potential new club would be a nice bonus to go alongside it.
Read more: Ronaldo to leave Manchester United 'with immediate effect'
“Nothing will shake this squad,” Ronaldo said at a news conference in Doha this week. A loss to Ghana might.
The African nation is the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup — at No. 61 — and is the big underdog in a group also containing Uruguay and South Korea.
Still, Saudi Arabia showed anything is possible at this tournament by beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina against the odds on Tuesday, and Ghana has previously come within a handball by Luis Suarez of playing in a World Cup semifinal — in 2010.
The Blacks Stars also have some form players in Thomas Partey — the midfield anchorman of Premier League leader Arsenal — and Mohammed Kudus, who has been scoring freely for Ajax in the Champions League this season.
Portugal will start as the favorite, with coach Fernando Santos having so much depth in attack, midfield and at full back as well as the experience of leading the national team to the European Championship title in 2016.
Concerns persist over whether Santos is too pragmatic given the talent at his disposal but he remains a popular choice as coach eight years after being hired. Santos has shown he isn’t afraid to make tough decisions by leaving Ronaldo out of a starting team in a Nations League game against Iberian rival Spain in June for “tactical reasons.”
Read more: Cristiano Ronaldo gambles on World Cup to restore reputation
Doing so again for the first match of a World Cup is highly unlikely, even if Ronaldo’s head might be scrambled given the turbulence in his club career over the past week.
France's Lucas Hernandez ruled out of World Cup
Another one of France’s 2018 World Cup -winning team is injured and was ruled out of the title defense on Wednesday, and likely for the rest of the season.
Lucas Hernandez, the starting left-back four years ago, lasted just eight minutes of France’s opening game against Australia on Tuesday before suffering a ruptured ACL in his right knee.
“We’re losing an important element,” coach Didier Deschamps said in French soccer federation statement. “Lucas is a warrior.”
Hernandez seemed to twist his right knee while his leg was off the ground in the play that saw the cross delivered for Australia to score and take a shock early lead in France’s 4-1 win.
Read: 4 years after dream debut, France rely even more on Mbappe
The 26-year-old Bayern Munich defender was clutching at his knee in pain even before landing on the turf.
While his younger brother Theo prepared to come on as a replacement, Hernandez was treated on the pitch for a couple minutes before limping around the field to exit down the players’ tunnel.
“It’s never good to see one of your teammates leaving the field in that way,” France captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said after the game. “I believe it is an important injury. He’s not the first one.”
Hernandez now joins Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante, who were ruled out before Deschamps picked his squad, as standout starters in the 2018 lineup missing in Qatar.
Read: World Cup 2022: France faces midfield battle against Australia
France also lost forwards Karim Benzema and Christopher Nkunku to injuries in training last week and central defender Raphael Varane, another key part of the 2018 team, has not played for six weeks because of a hamstring injury.
Doubts spring up everywhere after Argentina's shock loss to Saudi Arabia
Unfortunately for Argentina fans, it wasn’t just a bad dream. Their team really did lose 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in one of the biggest shocks in the World Cup’s 92-year history.
Now the pressure is on Lionel Messi and Argentina, who cannot afford to lose their next match against Mexico on Saturday if they want to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
“It’s time to be united, turn the page and no longer think about what happened,” Messi said after the humiliating defeat against Saudi Arabia, the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament. “Take reflections, take the positives to improve what we did wrong and think about Mexico. We always said we were going to look to win every game and now more than ever.”
So much for Argentina arriving in Qatar in ideal shape to win a third World Cup, having won the Copa America last year and been on a 36-game unbeaten run. Now there are doubts springing up everywhere. Are key players fit enough? Does Lionel Scaloni — Argentina’s accidental coach — have the experience to handle the pressure of a World Cup? And can Messi, now 35, still carry Argentina to the one prize in soccer still to elude him?
Worryingly, Messi spoke of “anxiety” that crept into his team.
Read: Are Argentina still genuine contenders?
“The goal so early (in the second half) hurt us, it made us confused,” Messi said. “We knew it could happen in the first game, if we didn’t play in the best way we were doing, and I think that happened to us. We didn’t find the performance or the game that we’ve been demonstrating for a long time.”
In some ways, the loss to the Saudis was a freak result. They scored with two of their three shots on goal, all of which came in the second half. Argentina could easily have been two or three goals ahead by halftime if it wasn’t for a couple of marginal offside calls only discovered by video review. And Argentina created enough chances late in the game to take at least a draw.
Yet, there were enough problems to make even the most optimistic Argentina fan concerned.
Some players clearly weren’t at peak fitness. Cristian Romero, the center back rounded too easily by Saleh Alshehri for the first goal, hasn’t played for the last month at English club Tottenham because of a muscle injury and didn’t look ready. Similarly, Leandro Paredes and striker Angel Di Maria have played limited minutes since October after injuries.
That Romero and Paredes were substituted soon after Saudi Arabia’s second goal in the 53rd was an indication something was not right.
Center midfielder Rodrigo De Paul and right back Nahuel Molina are not regulars for Atletico Madrid and lacked sharpness. De Paul, in particular, ended up struggling with the Saudis’ unexpected intensity and physicality.
Read: From Jordan to Qatar, Arab fans celebrate Saudi victory over favourite Argentina
Giovani Lo Celso, a favorite of Scaloni but out of the World Cup because of injury, was missed in midfield. Center back Nicolas Otamendi started against Saudi Arabia, but Scaloni may opt for Lisandro Martínez against Mexico, given his improving form for Manchester United this season.
There was already a fragile look to Argentina’s defense in the first half, under limited pressure from the Saudis. That was exposed throughout the second half, forcing Messi to drop deeper in search of the ball.
Messi insisted the day before the game that he was in good shape, despite training individually two days last week and being pictured with padding around his right ankle. He was still a joy to watch in Tuesday’s game with the ball at his feet and when given space but he found himself crowded out in the second half. At 35, he could find it difficult to play intense matches every four days at the World Cup.
Argentina has three days to sort things out before they return to Lusail stadium, where the Saudis caused one of the World Cup’s biggest upsets, to play Mexico. The 89,000-seat stadium will also stage the World Cup final on Dec. 18,
Read: ‘Now's the time to be more united than ever’: Messi after Argentina's shocking defeat to Saudi Arabia
Goalkeeper Emi Martinez said that Argentina will go into the Mexico game as if they were playing for the title.
“Saturday is our first World Cup final,” he said, adding the early defeat may help galvanize the team.
“If we want to be world champions, it’s good to have a stumble,” he said. “A stumble is not a fall.”
Ind Cup Football: Dhaka Abahani clinch group title beating Muktijoddha SKS 3-1
Defending champions Dhaka Abahani Limited clinched the Group C title to reach the quarterfinal of the season's curtain raiser soccer meet, the Bashundhara Group Independent Cup Football '2022 beating Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra by 3-1 goal in the last group match at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla on Wednesday
Dhaka Abahani will play the 3rd quarterfinal on Sunday (November 27) against the Group D runners-up while Group C runners-up Muktijoddha Sangsad KC will play Group D champions in the 4th and last quarterfinal on the same day.
In the day's match, Brazilian defender Rafayel struck twice in the 4th and 27th minutes while Brazilian forward Santos netted the other goal for the popular sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani in the 61st minute.
Nigerian forward Emmanuel scored the consolation goal for the freedom fighters' team in the 51st minute.
Read: Ind Cup Football: Bashundhara Kings emerge group champions with all win record
In the day's other match, coming from behind, Bangladesh Air Force beat Uttara Football Club by 2-1 goal at the Bir Shreshta Fl Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj on Wednesday.
After a barren first half, Mohammad Sagor put Uttara FC ahead in the 47th minute (1-0) while Rakibul leveled the margin for Air Force team in the 74th minute (1-1).
Jewel netted the match-winning goal for Bangladesh Air Force (2-1) in the stoppage time of the match (90+3 minute).