Star studded Bashundhara Kings clinched the Independent Cup Football crown for the 3rd time beating former champions Sheikh Russell KC by 4-2 in a penalty shootout at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Dutta Stadium in Cumilla Monday afternoon. The final match of the season's curtain raiser soccer meet, the Bashundhara Group Independence Cup 2022 between two former champions was locked at 2-2 in the stipulated 90 minutes. Mayor of the Cumilla City Corporation Arfanul Haque Rifat and BFF Vice President M Ataur Rahman Bhuiyan Manik witnessed the day's final and distributed the trophies. Rakib Hossain of Bashundhara Kings was adjudged the best player, Dorielton Gome of the same team named as the highest scorer, Kings custodian Anisur Rahman named as the best player of the final while Dhaka Abahani Limited named as the most disciplined team to receive the "Fair play trophy" All the four goals of the final were scored in the first half. Brazilian medio Miguel Ferreira scored first for the Kings in the very first minute of the match (1-0) while Nigerian striker Mfon Sunday Udoh leveled the margin for Sheikh Russel KC in the 12th minute (1-1). Ivory Coast midfielder Charles Didier put Sheikh Russel KC ahead from behind in the 32nd minute (2-1) while Brazilian forward cum Kings captain Robson Robinho neutralized the margin in the 45th minute of the match (2-2). In the day's title deciding penalty shootout, Bashundhara Kings beat Sheikh Russel KC by 4-2 goals to win the tournament's title after the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. Dhaka Abahani Limited won the Independence title in the 2021-22 season.Earlier, last time champions Dhaka Abahani Limited finished 3rd in the tournament beating Bangladesh Police FC by 4-2 goals in a place-deciding match at the Bir Shrestha Fl Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj on Sunday.    

Bangladesh clinched the Men's Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Cup Hockey title for the fourth time in a row, with a 100 percent winning record, beating a superior Oman 5-3 in a penalty shootout Sunday. At the GBK Hockey Field in Jakarta, the final match of the nine-nation Hockey competition between arch-rivals Bangladesh and Oman ended in 1-1 within the stipulated time. Shohanur Rahman Shobuj put Bangladesh ahead in the 14th minute with a field goal while Fahad Al Lawati pulled one back for Oman in the 19th minute. In the title-deciding penalty shootout, Bangladesh converted all five attempts while Oman missed two to finish runners-up. For Bangladesh, Farhad Ahmed Shetul, Shobuj, Roman Sarkar, Naimuddin and Puskar Khisa Mimo scored in the penalty shootout. Bangladesh custodian Biplob Kujur saved a penalty while Oman's Sumaiya Mahmud's shot went wide. This was the second successive victory for Bangladesh against Oman in the competition after their 3-2 win in the Pool B match. Bangladesh qualified for the next Men's Asia Cup Hockey as one of the top three teams of the AHF Cup 2022 to join the direct qualifiers – India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Pakistan. They also earned the rights to play in the Asian Games 2022 scheduled for the Chinese city of Hangzhou in September as the semifinalists of the AHF Cup 2022. Earlier, Bangladesh made a flying start to the Asian Hockey competition, beating hosts Indonesia 7-2. They later thrashed Singapore 7-0, beat Iran 6-2, and trounced Kazakhstan 8-1.

Italian soccer’s redemption story is complete. England’s painful half-century wait for a major title goes on. And it just had to be because of a penalty shootout. Read: Italy vs England Final: EURO 2020 Match Preview Italy won the European Championship for the second time by beating England 3-2 on penalties on Sunday. The match finished 1-1 after extra time at Wembley Stadium, which was filled mostly with English fans hoping to celebrate the team’s first international trophy since the 1966 World Cup. “It’s coming to Rome. It’s coming to Rome,” Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci shouted into a TV camera amid the celebrations, mocking the famous lyric “it’s coming home” from the England team’s anthem. For England, it was utter dejection again — they know the feeling so well when it comes to penalties — after Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy’s imposing goalkeeper, dived to his left and saved the decisive spot kick by 19-year-old Londoner Bukayo Saka, one of the youngest players in England’s squad. That was England’s third straight failure from the penalty spot in the shootout, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho — players brought on late in extra time seemingly as specialist penalty-takers — also missing. Read: England, Italy set for thrilling EURO 2020 showdown on Sunday As Saka and Sancho cried, Donnarumma was mobbed by his teammates as they sprinted toward him from the halfway line at the end of the second penalty shootout in a European Championship final. Then Italy’s jubilant players headed to the other end of the field and ran as one, diving to the ground in front of the Italian fans who have witnessed a rebirth of their national team. It was less than four years ago that Italy plunged to the lowest moment of its soccer history by failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in six decades. Now, they are the best team in Europe and on a national-record 34-match unbeaten run under Roberto Mancini, their suave coach who has won an international trophy in his first attempt to add to the country’s other European title — in 1968 — and its four World Cups. Mancini joined his players on the podium as Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy to the backdrop of fireworks and tickertape. “It was impossible even to just consider this at one stage,” Mancini said, “but the guys were just amazing. I have no words for them.” For England, it’s the latest heartache in shootouts at major tournaments, after defeats in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012. They ended that losing streak by beating Colombia on penalties in the round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup, but the pain has quickly returned. “The boys couldn’t have given more,” England captain Harry Kane said. “Penalties are the worst feeling in the world when you lose. It’s been a fantastic tournament — we should be proud, hold our heads up high. It’s going to hurt now, it’s going to hurt for a while.” Read: Euro 2020 final: Italy holds historical edge over England England’s first major final in 55 years had all started so well, too, with Luke Shaw scoring the fastest goal in a European Championship final by meeting a cross from opposite wing back Kieran Trippier with a half-volley that went in off the post in the second minute. It was Shaw’s first goal for England and it prompted a fist-pump between David Beckham and Tom Cruise in the VIP box amid an explosion of joy around Wembley, which had at least 67,000 fans inside. Maybe more, given dozens of ticketless England fans managed to barge their way past stewards and police and into the stadium in unsettling scenes before kickoff. That was the only time Italy’s famously robust defense was really opened up in the entire 120 minutes. Indeed, after Shaw’s goal, England barely saw the ball for the rest of the game. Italy’s midfielders dominated possession, as widely predicted before the match, and England simply resorted to dropping deep and getting nine or even all 10 outfield players behind the ball. It was reminiscent of the 2018 World Cup semifinals, when England also scored early against Croatia then spent most of the game chasing its opponent’s midfield before losing in extra time. Italy’s equalizer was merited and Bonucci was the unlikely scorer. He put the ball in from close range after a right-wing corner was flicked on to Marco Verratti, whose stooping header was tipped onto the post by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. England managed to hold on for extra time — the way three of the last six European finals went — and actually had the better of the final stages. Just not the shootout, again. After the misses of Rashford — he stuttered up to the ball and then hit the post — and Sancho, whose shot was saved by Donnarumma again down to his left, Jorginho had the chance to win it for Italy. Incredibly, the midfielder who converted the decisive penalty in a shootout win over Spain in the semifinals also failed to score as Pickford tipped the effort off the post. It was Donnarumma who then made the crucial saves and within minutes he had also been named player of the tournament, the first goalkeeper to be so honored. So instead of coming home, the trophy is headed to Rome. “We’d heard it day in, day out from Wednesday night — we heard it would be coming home to London,” Bonucci said. “I’m sorry for them, but the cup will be taking a nice flight, making its way to Rome so Italians all over the world can savor this.”  

Unai Simon made two saves and Mikel Oyarzabal scored the decisive penalty to give Spain a spot in the European Championship semifinals by beating Switzerland 3-1 in the shootout after a 1-1 draw. The match  headed to a penalty shootout in the European Championship quarterfinals after a 1-1 draw through extra time. Read: Swiss beat France on penalties at Euro 2020 The Swiss got through the extra period of 30 minutes despite playing with 10 men following a red card for midfielder Remo Freuler in the 78th minute. An own-goal by Switzerland midfielder Denis Zakaria gave Spain the lead in the eighth minute. The Swiss equalized when Xherdan Shaqiri took advantage of a defensive mix-up in the 68th. Read: UEFA EURO 2020: Quarter Finals Preview Remo Freuler was shown a straight red card in the 78th for a studs-up challenge on Spain substitute Gerard Moreno.