Arefin heroics, Orchid’s redemption arc send DS into last 16

Valiant goalkeeping and a tale of redemption marked the beginning of Kool BSJA Media Cup for The Daily Star, who beat News 24 4-2 on penalties to book a spot in the Round of 16 today.

Like the brand new turf laid at the BFF Artificial Turf in Motijheel, DS had to roll out an almost brand new squad -- with previously regular starters now either plying their trade for other media houses, sleeping through alarms, or enjoying what can only be described as a “mysterious” vacation in China.

The match began an hour later than scheduled, but there was no shortage of urgency from DS -- who found their mojo right from the first whistle.

New recruit Tanjeel Rejwan’s solid defending and crisp distribution made life easier for the ever-reliable midfield-forward duo -- skipper Khalid Hossain and No. 9 Nabid Yeasin.

At the back, defender Orchid Chakma had already struck fear into the opposition before kickoff -- with News 24 players remarking, “Looks like your number 4 alone will be enough for all six of us.”

Little did they know, Orchid was battling a ghost of his own -- his infamous own goal had knocked DS out in the quarters two seasons ago, prompting a dramatic vow to “retire from football.”

But return he did -- and how. A Man of the Match performance restored not only his faith in himself, but perhaps in football as a whole.

With Orchid and Tanjeel marshalling the backline, Khalid and Nabid began pulling the strings upfront alongside newly inducted forward Mahedi Hasan. Mahedi, who switched from Dhaka Tribune this season following a rather heated, cuss-filled encounter between DS and Tribune last year, had no trouble settling into the new -- and, as he would surely agree, superior -- setup.

It was Mahedi’s pass that created the first opening for Nabid in the first half. Nabid, DS’s top scorer over the previous two seasons, struck it sweetly, but somehow the News 24 keeper managed to parry it onto the crossbar -- an effort, which, judging by his big sigh of relief, was possibly by accident rather than design.

Relentless in attack, DS ensured News 24 failed to register even a single shot on target in the first half.

The second half began in the same fashion, with Khalid dribbling past three defenders straight from kickoff -- a timely reminder that he doesn’t just resemble Ronaldinho in appearance.

However, the tide soon threatened to turn, forcing newly appointed DS goalkeeper Samsul Arefin Khan, AKA Tiger Arefin, into action.

News 24 breached the DS defence twice in quick succession, only to be denied by Arefin each time. One attack saw him produce two saves in rapid succession -- all while yelling at his teammates to track back and help.

DS soon responded, with Khalid threading a precise pass to Nabid, who -- uncharacteristically -- dragged his effort wide again.

End-to-end action followed, with DS introducing debutants Rashed Shumon and Mukul late on. Mukul's energy and a crucial clearance from Shumon ensured the score remained 0-0 at full time, sending the match into penalties.

From the spot, Tanjeel, Khalid, Nabid, and Orchid were flawless -- dispatching their efforts with power and precision.

Meanwhile, an ardent Argentina fan, goalkeeper Arefin began the shootout by enthusiastically recreating Emiliano Martinez’s mind games -- complete with needless dancing and arm-waving. However, after conceding the first two penalties, he appeared to realise that the smaller goalposts offered less room for theatrics.

Switching to a more practical approach, he saved two successive penalties, each with much more authority than the previous, to seal DS’s passage to the next round.

News 24, meanwhile, chose to ignore the unwritten laws of penalty shootout etiquette -- repeatedly sending takers from off the field, aided by some generous refereeing. In the end, however, even creative interpretation of the rules couldn’t save them from an early exit.

P.S: Sabbir Hossain remained an unused substitute for DS, dedicating his time to attending to his beautiful wife and wonderful human being, Suriya Jesmine, on the sidelines. As per tradition, he was also the last to arrive and had to be persuaded to wear his jersey -- merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his well-documented attention-seeking trait.