Male (Maldives): ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) qualified for the knockout stages of the AFC Cup following a 1-1 stalemate with Bangladesh champions Bashundhara Kings in a Group D match here on Tuesday. The Indian club made the inter-zonal semifinal of the second tier continental tournament as South Asian Zone champions.
Brazilian midfielder Jonathan Fernandes (28th) put the Bangladeshi side ahead in the first half before teammate Sushanto Tripura (45+2′) was sent off at the stroke of half time.
Assisted by a Liston Colaco cross, Australian forward David Williams (62nd) scored the equaliser to make Bagan group toppers with seven points as the Kings finished second with five points.
This is the first time since 2018 that an Indian team has made the zonal semifinals. Bagan will play the winners of Uzbekistan’s Nasaf and Turkmenistan’s Ahal September 22.
In the end the draw was sufficient enough for the Kolkata-based side.