AFC Challenge League: Ibrahim's brilliance secures historic win for Fortis

Fortis FC made a triumphant debut in the AFC Challenge League, securing their spot in the group stage with a 1–0 victory over Kyrgyz giants Muras United in the preliminary round at the Bashundhara Kings Arena. Veteran forward Mohammad Ibrahim, on loan from Abahani, sealed the memorable win for the Bangladeshi side with a brilliant finish.

Fortis head coach Masud Parvez Kaiser named eight foreign players in his starting lineup. Aiming primarily to neutralize the heavily favored Muras side, Fortis relied on Japanese defenders Shion Kawasaki and Usei Shimomura to solidify the backline. While focusing on defense, Fortis routinely pushed forward on counterattacks, with Gambian captain Pa Omar Babou repeatedly threatening the Muras defense.

In the 22nd minute, Pa Omar Babou mounted a solo run down the left side of the box and found himself one-on-one with the Muras goalkeeper. His left-footed shot beat keeper Kostyk, but Fortis was left frustrated as the ball rattled off the post and went out.

Shortly after, the Gambian forward squandered another chance with an off-target shot from a promising position. Pairing with him in attack was young forward Insan, on loan from Bashundhara Kings, who also crafted several dangerous counterattacks.

Although Muras dominated possession and attacking build-ups in the first half, they struggled to create clear-cut scoring opportunities. Kicking off at 3:00 PM, the Central Asian side visibly struggled in the intense heat. In their previous visit, Muras had played against Abahani at the Dhaka Stadium during the evening, winning that match 2–0.

However, Fortis strategically scheduled the kickoff for 3:00 PM to maximize their home advantage, a tactic that proved entirely successful. With most of its squad hailing from Ukraine, the Kyrgyz club struggled to adapt to the adverse weather conditions and failed to find their usual rhythm.

Muras mounted strong pressure early in the second half, but Fortis’s Sri Lankan goalkeeper Sujan Perera denied them twice with back-to-back saves to preserve the lead.
In the 52nd minute, Fortis took the lead against the run of play through Ibrahim's strike. Pa Omar Babou drove forward before playing a through ball to Ibrahim, who controlled it smoothly with a soft touch of his right foot and slotted a low left-footed shot underneath the Kyrgyz goalkeeper.

Four minutes later, Muras goalkeeper Orest Kostyk denied Fortis a second with a double save. Pa Omar Babou's curling corner was heading straight into the net before Kostyk made a crucial goal-line clearance. The rebound fell to Ananta Tamang, who cut it back to Eric Bocoum. Kostyk then dived to his right to turn Bocoum's curling effort behind for another corner.

Fortis nearly surrendered their lead in the 74th minute when Mardanov Ismailovich's shot struck Eric Bocoum's hand inside the box, prompting the referee to award Muras a penalty. However, Atabaev Erbol squandered the chance to bring Muras level as his right-footed spot-kick rebounded off the post, leaving Fortis's lead intact.

Fortis protected their advantage through the remaining minutes to secure their place in the group stage alongside Bashundhara Kings, who accomplished the same feat last year. Abahani had a similar opportunity on home soil last year but fell short against Muras. Ibrahim featured in that match as well, and while he could not guide his former side to victory then, the veteran forward emerged as the hero for Fortis this time around.