Bashundhara Kings made history by becoming the country鈥檚 first side to clinch the league title on five successive occasions when they beat Mohammedan Sporting Club 2-1 in their Bangladesh Premier League match in Mymensingh on Saturday.
Their achievement surpassed the previous record held by Dhaka Wanderers Club, who claimed four straight titles from 1953 to 1956.
On the other hand, the country鈥檚 traditional powerhouses, Abahani Limited and Mohammedan, have managed three successive titles, with Abahani achieving this feat twice.
With Saturday鈥檚 win, Kings raised their tally to an unassailable 40 points from 15 games to clinch the title with three games to spare in the 10-team league, while second-placed Mohammedan have 28 points from the same number of outings.
In Mymensingh, Kings Brazilian forward Dorielton Gomes scored a brace, while midfielder Minhajur Abedin Rakib Ballu, who scored the match-winner in Kings鈥� only defeat of the season in the first-leg at the Kings Arena, pulled one goal back for Mohammedan.
Dorielton gave Kings a deserving lead in the 18th minute with a placing shot past Mohammedan goalkeeper Sujon Hossain after receiving a through from Brazilian midfielder Miguel Damasceno from the top of the box.
The Brazilian scored his second and 13th in the league with a leaping header in the 52nd minute, connecting a corner by midfielder Shekh Morsalin from the right side.
Dorielton was now sharing the league鈥檚 top scorer place with Mohammedan鈥檚 Malian forward Souleymane Diabate, who also has 13 goals to his name.
After falling behind two goals, Mohammedan, the only unbeaten side in the league, desperately looked for a turnaround, and Ballu finally reduced the margin with a placing shot in the 65th minute.
Kings won their first of five consecutive league titles in their debut season in the BPL in 2019, before the next edition was cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic, and they remained unstoppable in the next four editions, winning them in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Spanish Oscar Bruzon, who has been the coach of Kings since 2018, has led the cash-rich outfit to win 10 top-tier championships, including five BPL titles, three Independence Cups, and three Federation Cups, out of 13 competitions.
As the country鈥檚 biggest spending club, Kings first enjoyed their top-tier tournament success in 2018 when they won the Independence Cup, followed by victories in 2022 and 2023, as well as the Federation Cup titles in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons.
However, in the other day鈥檚 matches, bottom-placed Brothers Union snatched a 1-1 draw against sixth-placed Fortis Football Club at the Muktijoddha Smriti Stadium in Rajshahi, while Chittagong Abahani and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club played a goalless draw at the Birshreshtha Flight Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj.
