Bashundhara Kings faced a 3-2 loss against Al-Seeb, the Omani league champions, in an exciting inaugural match of the AFC Challenge League at the Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Stadium in Kuwait on Saturday. The game saw momentum shifts before Al-Seeb rallied from a 2-1 deficit early in the second half to claim all three points. The match drew a vibrant crowd, including a significant contingent of Kings fans.
The five-time champions from Bangladesh fell behind in the seventh minute after Nasser Al-Rawahi neatly controlled a pass in the box and scored with a powerful shot, beating goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon. Mario Gomez’s team responded in the 41st minute when Raphael Augusto capitalized on a pass from substitute Saad Uddin, delivering a spectacular volley to level the game.
Rakib Hossain then gave the Bangladeshi team the lead nine minutes into the second half with a skillful left-footed strike from outside the box. However, Al-Seeb managed to equalize just seven minutes later through Zaher Al-Aghbari, who navigated through the defense before calmly finishing.
Abdul Aziz Al-Maqbali secured the win for the Omani side in the 77th minute, displaying excellent teamwork before slotting the ball home as Kings struggled to withstand the increasing pressure.