Dhaka Abahani Ltd  reached the semifinal of the season's curtain raiser soccer meet, the Independence Cup Football ' 2023 as the 2nd team eliminating Sheikh Jamal DC by 3-2 goals in tie breaker at the floodlight Bashundhara Kings Arena here Sunday evening. The nail-bitting 2nd  quarterfinal match between Dhaka Abahani and Sheikh Jamal DC ended in a goalless position in the stipulated 90- minute and the match was again locked 1-1 goals  in the extra session of 30 minutes. Independence Cup: Rahmatganj MFS advance to semis eliminating Police FC In the extra session,  Brazilian medio Jonathan Fenandes  put Abahani ahead in the 94th minute while another Brazilian midfielder Higor restored the parity for Sheikh Jamal in the 107th minute to force the match toward tie breaker. Abahanis substitute custodian Shamim emerged as the match hero foiling two Sheikh Jamal attempts, out of five, in the tie breaker.  Iranian defender Milad Sheikhi scored the match winning goal for Abahani  after Fahim of Sheikh Jamal sent the previous spot Khan kick outside. Team Manager of Dhaka Abahani got marching after receiving a direct red card. FIFA Women's Football: Bangladesh aiming to wrap up friendly series against Singapore on Monday Dhaka Abahani will now play the 2nd semifinal on December 15 at the Bashundhara Kings Arena here against the winners of Bashundhara Kings and Bangladesh Army, who will meet each other in the 4th quarterfinal on Tuesday (Dec 5) at the same venue Rahmatganj MFS will play the first semifinal, also on December 15 at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj against the winners of  Dhaka Mohammedan and Chittagong Abahani, who will meet each in the 3rd quarterfinal on Tuesday (Dec 5) at  Bir Shreshtha Fl Lt Shaheed Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj After a recess on Monday, Dhaka Mohammedan SC, the champions of Group C, will encounter Group D runners-up Chittagong Abahani Limited in the 3rd quarterfinal on Tuesday (December 5) at 1:45 pm at the Bir Shreshtha Fl Lt Shaheed Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj. Star-studded Bashundhara Kings, the champions of Group D will play Group C runners- up Bangladesh Army Football team in the 4th and last quarterfinal, also on Tuesday at 4 pm at their home ground -- Bashundhara Kings Arena--in the capital. Independence Cup Football: Quarterfinals begin Sunday The two semifinals will be held ten days later after the Bashundhara Kings vital AFC Cup Football match against Indian giant Odisha FC, billed for December 11 at Kalindi Stadum in Bhubaneswar. The first semifinal will be held on December 15 at  1:45 pm at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj while the 2nd semifinal will also be held on the same day (Dec 15) at 4 pm at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the city. The title deciding final match will commence on December 18 at 1:45 pm  at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj.

Two quick goals by Ghana striker Samuel helped Rahmatganj MFS to reach the semifinal of the season's curtain raiser soccer meet, the Independence Cup Football ' 2023 as the first team eliminating Bangladesh Police FC  by 2-1:goals in the first quarterfinal at the Bashundhara Kings Arena here on Sunday. They will play the first semifinal on December 15 at Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj  against the winners of Dhaka Mohammedan and Chittagaong Abahani, who will meet each other in the 3rd quarterfinal on Tuesday (Dec 5) at  Bir Shreshtha Fl Lt Shaheed Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj. FIFA Women's Football: Bangladesh aiming to wrap up friendly series against Singapore on Monday In the day's first quarterfinal, Colombian forward Edis Horacio put the Police FC ahead in the 24th minute from a penalty (1-0). But, Ghana forward Samuel assured the old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj's victory, scoring two quick goals in a span of only two minutes (29th and 31st minute). Samuel levelled the margin in the 29th minute by a nice volley from the danger zone (1-1) while he scored the match- winner just two minutes later by a push from close,  off a Susanta Tripura's free kick (2-1). Independence Cup Football: Quarterfinals begin Sunday Meanwhile, Group B champions Dhaka Abahani Ltd played against Group A runners-up Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the 2nd quarterfinal also at the Bashundhara Kings Arena  Sunday evening. After a recess on Monday, Dhaka Mohammedan SC, the champions of Group C, will encounter Group D runners-up Chittagong Abahani Limited in the 3rd quarterfinal on Tuesday (December 5) at 1:45 pm at the Bir Shreshtha Fl Lt Shaheed Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj. Star-studded Bashundhara Kings, the champions of Group D will play Group C runners- up Bangladesh Army Football team in the 4th and last quarterfinal, also on Tuesday at 4 pm at their home ground -- Bashundhara Kings Arena--in the capital. The two semifinals will be held ten days later after the Bashundhara Kings vital AFC Cup Football match against Indian giant Odisha FC, billed for December 11 at Kalindi Stadium in Bhubaneswar. Women's Football: Bangladesh too hot to handle for Singapore The first semifinal will be held on December 15 at  1:45 pm at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj while the 2nd semifinal will also be held on the same day (Dec 15) at 4 pm at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in the city. The title deciding final match will commence on December 18 at 1:45 pm  at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj.

Bangladesh Police Football Club became the Group D champions to reach the quarterfinals of the new season's curtain raiser football tournament, the Bashundhara Group Independence Cup 2022, beating Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club 4-3 in their last group match Thursday. Despite the defeat at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Stadium in Gopalganj, Sheikh Jamal finished group runners-up to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals Sunday, Group D champions Police will play Group C runners-up Muktijoddha Sangsad. Group D runners-up Sheikh Jamal will play Group C champions Dhaka Abahani on the same day. Read: Independence Cup Football: Dhaka Abahani, Muktijoddha make quarterfinals In the day's match, midfielder Kirmanee put Police in front in the ninth minute (1-0). Forward SM Bablu doubled the lead in the 22nd minute (2-0), and Malikov of Kyrgyzstan scored the third goal for Police in the 37th from a penalty (3-0). Ezekiel of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines struck two quick goals for Sheikh Jamal in the 38th and 43rd minutes (3-2). Panama forward Avila scored the fourth goal for Police FC in the 57th minute (4-2). Police defender Rasel scored an own goal in the 76th minute (4-3). In the day's other match, Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society tasted victory in their third and last group match, outplaying Bangladesh Football Federation Elite Football Academy 3-1 at the Bir Shreshtha Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj Thursday afternoon. Read: Independence Cup Football: Air Force advance to final round Tajik forward Fatkhulo scored first for Rahmatganj in the 38th minute (1-0). Brazilian midfielder Morais doubled the lead in the 55th minute (2-0) and defender Saddam Hossain netted the third goal for the Old Dhaka outfit in the 55th minute (3-0). Local midfielder Asadul Mollah pulled one back for Elite Football Academy in the 77th minute (3-1).

Walton Central Zone won the Independence Cup beating BCB South Zone by six wickets on Saturday in Sylhet. Before this 50-over event, Central Zone had won the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) title as well. Central Zone won the toss and bowled first. They displayed a wonderful bowling effort to restrict South Zone only for 163 in 48.5 overs with the highest score of 35 by Pinak Ghosh. Mosaddek Hossain, Nazmul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Hasan Murad and Mrittunjoy Chowdhury bagged two wickets each. In reply, Central Zone chased down the target in 42.3 overs with six wickets in hand and won the match and the event. Read: U-19 World Cup: Bangladesh to start campaign taking on England Sunday The other teams who took part in Independence Cup are BCB North Zone and Islami Bank East Zone. Imrul Kayes of East Zone scored the highest 165 runs with two half-centuries, while Soumya Sarkar, Mahedi Hasan, Nayeem Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman have jointly bagged seven wickets each. The best bowling figure belongs to Mustafizur who bagged four wickets conceding 63 runs, while the best batting innings was recorded by Naeem Islam who posted 72.  

After winning two consecutive matches, Walton Central Zone lost their third match against BCB South Zone by five wickets in the ongoing Independence Cup on Thursday in Sylhet. Despite this defeat, Central Zone, along with South Zone, marched to the final of the event which will be played on January 15. Central Zone batted first after losing the toss and posted a moderate total of 220 runs for eight wickets. Abu Hider Rony was the most exciting batter for them hitting 54 only for 27 balls with six fours and four sixes. Along with him, Abdul Mazid and Mosaddek Hossain also have done well with the bat scoring 46 and 44 respectively. Also read: Central Zone continue on winning streak For South Zone, Mustafizur Rahman bagged four wickets conceding 63 runs while Mahedi Hasan took three wickets. In reply, Pinak Ghosh and Towhid Hridoy scored 54 and 65 runs respectively to guide South Zone to a five-wicket victory. Zakir Hasan has also done well scoring 40 runs. Hasan Murad scalped two wickets for the Central Zone but the other bowlers failed to do well for them. In the other match of the day, Islami Bank East Zone beat BCB North Zone by four wickets. Imrul Kayes hit 71 for East Zone and won the player of the match award. Also read: Most Fierce Bowling Performances in BPL History North Zone batted first and posted 216 losing all wickets with the help of the fifties by Marshal Ayub, 54, and Mahmudullah Riyad, 66. In reply, East Zone chased the target in 37.5 overs with Imrul scoring the highest for them. Tamim Iqbal scored 35 for them.

Walton Central Zone continued their winning streak in the ongoing Independence Cup— a 50-over tournament. On Tuesday, Central Zone beat BCB North Zone by 28 runs in Sylhet, while in the other match, BCB South Zone beat Islami Bank by three wickets.  Read:Five Shining Stars of Bangladesh in NZ vs BAN Test Series 2022 It was the second win of the Central Zone in the event.  North Zone won the toss and sent Central Zone bat first who posted a challenging total of 262 runs for five wickets in 50 overs.  Abdul Mazid and Mossaddek Hossain scored fifty each while Soumya Sarkar and Al Amin reached 40-park.  For North Zone, Shafiqul Islam scalped two wickets.  In reply, North Zone tumbled for 234 runs for nine in 50 overs. For them, Naeem Islam scored 70 while Mahmudullah Riyad posted 43.  For Central Zone, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury grabbed three wickets.  Read:Bangladesh end New Zealand tour with Liton’s imperious ton In the other match, East Zone posted 192 for eight while batting first with the highest of 69 by Imrul Kayes. Mustafizur Rahman bagged three wickets for South Zone.  In reply, South Zone scored 193 for seven in 45.5 overs with Mahedi Hasan scoring 37. For East Zone, Nayeem Hasan and Afif Hossain taking three wickets each. 

In the first-round matches of the Independence Cup, a 50-over event involving the teams of the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), Walton Central Zone and BCB North Zone won their respective matches in Sylhet on Sunday. Central Zone, who won the longer version edition of BCL this year, beat Islami Bank East Zone by 22 runs in a low-scoring affair at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. East Zone won the toss and sent Central Zone to bat first, who posted 177 all out in 43.2 overs with Mohammad Mithun scoring the highest 37. Along with him, Mizanur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan also did well with the bat posting 36 and 35 respectively. For East Zone, right-arm pacers Rubel Hossain, and Rejaur Rahman Raja bagged three wickets each while Tanvir Islam took one wicket. Also read: Pumped-up Tigers aim for monumental series win against Blackcaps In reply, East Zone tumbled for 155 despite two 30-plus scores by Rony Talukdar and Irfan Sukkur. They managed to set in the middle but failed to carry on. Mohammad Ashraful suffered a duck while Imrul Kayes posted 25 for them. For Central Zone, Shakib, Hasan Murad and Soumya Sarkar bagged two wickets each while Abu Hider Rony and Mosaddek Hossain took one wicket each. Also read: Series win against New Zealand to inspire future Tigers: Domingo In the other match of the day at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Academy Ground, South Zone batted first and scored 162 with a fifty by Towhid Hridoy, and 47 from Pinak Ghosh. For North Zone, Sunzamul Islam and Shafiqul Islam scalped three wickets each while Naeem Islam bagged two. In reply, opener Parvez Hossain Emon and Naeem hit a half-century each to guide South Zone to an eight-wicket win. While Parvez fell for 54 off 54 balls, Naeem remained unbeaten for 66.

Both the semifinals of the season’s curtain raiser soccer meet, the Riviera Independence Cup Football '21, will be held on Tuesday (Dec 14) at the Bir Shrestha Shaheed Shipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur Group A champions Dhaka Abahani Limited will play Saif Sporting Club in the first semifinal at 5:15 pm while league champions Bashundhara Kings will meet Bangladesh Police at 8 pm, both on Tuesday at the same venue. READ: Independence Cup Football: Police book first-ever semifinal berth at Sheikh Russel KC’s expense After three-day recess, the title deciding final match will be held on Saturday (Dec 18), timing of the match yet to be announced. Earlier in the quarter finals, Dhaka Abahani Limited outplayed Bangladesh Army 4-0, Saif SC beat Swadhinata KS 2-0, Police FC upset last times runners-up Sheikh Russel KC 1-0 while Bashundhara Kings crushed Sheikh Jamal DC 4-0. READ: National Football: Rangamati, Bagerhat districts win matches