Mohamedan Sporting Club began their Bangladesh League campaign with a 1-0 win over Fakirerpool Young Men's Club at Chandpur District Stadium on Friday, though the pitch itself drew almost as much attention as a tense opening day contest.
Jahid Hasan Shanto headed home the only goal of the match in the 18th minute, converting a corner delivered by Uzbek midfielder and captain Muzaffar Muzaffarov to settle a tight affair between two sides who traded early attacks and counters.
New signing goalkeeper Anisur Rahman Zico marked his debut in the black and white jersey with two important first half saves, denying Fakirerpool a route back into the contest after they had created several presentable chances of their own.
Suleiman Sillah and Saif both had opportunities to equalise for the hosts but were let down by poor finishing, having helped Fakirerpool beat Dhaka Wanderers in their previous match through two fine goals from Sillah alone.
The result also carried a measure of revenge for Mohamedan, who had lost their opening league fixture to the same opponents 2-0 last season, a defeat Fakirerpool had celebrated as their first ever professional era win over the Dhaka giants.
Far more concerning than the result, however, was the state of the Chandpur surface itself, with large bare patches, an uneven playing area and visible bumps throughout, conditions widely considered unacceptable for a professional fixture of this standard.
Elsewhere, Brothers Union were held to a 1-1 draw by PWD at Manikganj's Shaheed Miraj-Tapan Stadium despite taking the lead, leaving them with just one point from two matches following an earlier 3-0 opening day defeat to newcomers City Club.
Bangladesh Police FC claimed their second straight win, beating Chattogram City FC 3-0 at Munshiganj to sit top of the table on six points, ahead of Fortis FC and City Club, who both have three points from their opening fixtures.
Mohamedan sit fourth in the early standings following their win, while two former champions, Dhaka Abahani and Bashundhara Kings, have both opened their campaigns with draws rather than victories so far this season.