They will watch the result of today's semifinal between hosts Sylhet and reigning champions Narayanganj at the same venue to know who their opponents will be.

Dhaka scored the winning goal in the 79th minute from a penalty after Lincoln appeared to have fouled Maruf inside the danger area. Polo coolly put the ball in the back of the net from the subsequent spot-kick.

The match was sparked into life after a languid first quarter when Ridon of Dhaka struck the Noakhali crossbar in the 19th minute. Then, within minutes, Mintu did exactly the same for Noakhali when he thundered the Dhaka crossbar.

National striker Alfaz Ahmed then latched on to a pass from Zahid Hasan Emily in the 34th minute to put the impressive Noakhali outfit in front. Dhaka goalkeeper Al Amin actually let the ball go through his legs as a corner from Arman came in from the right flank. It was one of the easier goals that veteran forward Alfaz has scored in his long career.

Ironically, it was the Dhaka goalie Al Amin who made some impressive saves later in the game to earn the man-of-the-match award.

The Dhaka equaliser had a quirky touch to it. The country's first and only throw specialist Belal sprang into action just at the stroke of half-time when his long throw-in was completely missed by Noakhali goalkeeper Aminul Haque. The ball fell at the feet of Ridon who made no mistake this time and slotted the it into the back of the net.

Second-half saw the game being played at the same pace with chances going both ways. Dhaka had the first opportunity in the 52nd minute when Arif crossed towards Maruf but the header from the Dhaka midfielder was just wide of the Noakhali post.

Dhaka looked more organised in the second-half. They had better planning and as a result gained more possession. But Noakhali, with six national players, had a few chances to score as well. Skipper Alfaz had two in as many minutes when, in the 59th and 60th minutes, he failed to beat the Dhaka 'keeper.

The final twist came in the 79th minute when Dhaka's Polo converted a penalty after Maruf was seen to have been fouled by Noakhali defender Lincoln.

After the match, Dhaka captain Arif Chowdhury said, "We tried to play a very complete game and were confident to win this crucial match although we have no star players like them (Noakhali)."

"Our coach (Kamal Babu) had a big influence with his tactical decisions, especially when he fielded Belal after we went down 1-0."

But it was a different story with Noakhali manager Abdul Wadud Pintu who complained that the referee Azad Rahman "tried his best to send Dhaka into the final".

He, however, said that his team's poor performance was behind their defeat.

The second semifinal will also be telecast live on Bangladesh Television (BTV).

TEAMS
NOAKHALI: Aminul, Jewel, Monu, Emily, Masud, Ashraf, Mofazzel, Arman, Titoo, Jalal, Alfaz, Shohag, Didar.

DHAKA: Al-Amin, Ramjan, Sony, Afzal, Murad, Polo, Arif, Moloy, Arafat, Shahadat and Ridon.