Abahani Limited emerged as the champion of the Walton U-18 Football Tournament after edging Farashganj Sporting Club 1-0 in the final at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka Saturday.
Third division league top-scorer Rimon Hossain scored the all-important goal early in the game and a solid Abahani defence maintained the lead against a spirited Farashganj side.
Majority of the players of both the finalists came from the third division league which concluded last month but some of Abahani's recruits like Minhajul Karim Shadhin, Dipok Roy and Nazmul Hossain hail from the Sylhet BFF Academy. The trio played a vital role in Abahani’s successful campaign, along with more than half a dozen players from Jessore's Shamsul Huda Academy like Rimon, Shadhin and goalkeeper Ariful Islam.
In contrast, the Old Dhaka outfit recruited seven players from the Tangail Football Academy, five from Dhaka Junior Club and three from Jatrabari Club. They began their campaign with only a day's preparation, informed head coach Abu Faysal Ahmed, who recently completed the AFC A license course. Urging to upgrade the coaches' education among the third division league coaches, Faysal said his club are likely to keep five-six players for the senior side.
Abahani manager Satyajit Das Rupu also felt the urge of nurturing the talented footballers, saying two years of continuous training would make them mature for the senior side.
Back to the game, Rimon put the Sky Blues ahead in the seventh minute with an opportunist header. Farashganj keeper Sajibul Islam failed to grip a long throw-in by defender Abu Siddique Babu, allowing Rimon to head home into the far post.
The Old Dhaka outfit almost equalised seven minutes into the second half when midfielder and captain Rafiqul Islam saw his close-range shot blocked by a defender before his second effort on the rebound was saved by custodian Ariful.
Farashganj forward Joy Chandra Barman was adjudged player of the tournament while Rimon became the player of the final. Apon Chandra Roy (Abahani), Abu Rayhan (Brothers Union) and Shakil Ahmed (Arambagh Krira Sangha) finished as the joint top-scorers with three goals each.
Young striker Rimon has been branding himself as one of the most prolific scorers in every competition he has taken part in the last couple of years. He played for Bashundhara Kings in the Pioneer League, scoring 13 goals in 12 matches last season. He was also the top-scorer in this year's Jessore first division league with 12 goals before becoming the third division league's highest-scorer with eight goals for Arambagh Football Academy.
"Scoring in the final is always special and the delight has doubled because of the importance of this tournament. I want to carry on my scoring-spree and get into Abahani's main team. My ultimate goal is to play for the national team and contribute for the country," said an ecstatic Rimon after the final.
RESULT
Abahani 1 (Rimon 7) 0 Farashganj