Police FC fail to emulate Fortis

Bangladesh Police FC could not make their continental debut as memorable as Fortis FC, falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Syria’s Al Ittihad Ahli of Aleppo SC in the AFC Challenge League preliminary round in Jordan on Tuesday.

While Fortis had secured a place in the group stage with a 1-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan’s Muras United at Bashundhara Kings Arena earlier in the day, Police FC were left to rue a first-half goal as Al Ittihad Ahli held on for a hard-fought victory and a place in the next round.

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Jordan Rodrigues scored the only goal of the game, heading home from close range late in the first half to send the seven-time Syrian league champions through to the group stage. Al Ittihad Ahli will now wait for the draw on August 20 to discover their group-stage opponents.

The Syrian side enjoyed more of the early possession, with Ahmad Ashkar and Mazen Alshalat dictating play from midfield. Police FC, however, gradually settled into the contest and created the first real attempt.

Junior Ngong Sam tested Al Ittihad Ahli goalkeeper Shaher Alshaker with a powerful effort from distance, although the goalkeeper gathered at the second attempt.

Al Ittihad Ahli began finding openings towards the end of the first half. Lamine Kone fired wide before Mohamad Rihanieh’s clever chip forced Police FC goalkeeper Asif into a fine save, tipping the ball over the bar.

The resulting corner produced the decisive moment.

Al Ittihad Ahli worked a routine from the set-piece, with Zakaria Hannan delivering into the box for Rodrigues, who rose to head home from close range.

Police FC had an opportunity to level eight minutes after the restart. Mohammed Rassoul met a cross with a header, but his effort lacked the direction to seriously trouble Alshaker.

Al Ittihad Ahli remained dangerous on the counter and came close to doubling their advantage when Rihanieh set up Alshalat for a shot from around 20 yards. Asif was equal to it, making a good stop to keep Police FC within touching distance.

The Bangladeshi side continued to fight for an equaliser, but clear-cut opportunities remained difficult to come by.

Al Ittihad Ahli missed another chance to put the result beyond doubt in the 79th minute. Hasan Dahhan found Rihanieh inside the box, but the forward swept his effort wide.

That miss mattered little in the end as Valeriu Tita’s side held on to secure a narrow victory and progress to the AFC Challenge League group stage.

For Police FC, meanwhile, their first taste of continental football ended in disappointment, unlike Fortis, who had made the most of their unexpected opportunity to advance to the group stage on their debut.