Fortis FC beat Tajikistan’s Regar TadAZ 3-1 in Kuwait on Friday, becoming the first Bangladeshi club to win a match in the main stage of the AFC Challenge League.
The match was played at the Mohammed Al Hamad Stadium in Hawally, and Fortis spent more than 50 minutes chasing it after an early concession.
Substitute Shuki Itofusa settled it in the 88th minute. He collected a through ball from Gambian forward Pa Omar Babou, ran into the box and drilled a low left footed shot towards the far post, completing a burst of three goals in 21 minutes.
Four minutes after they levelled, Fortis led. Nepalese defender Ananta Tamang headed on a corner, and Shian Kawasaki struck a powerful shot into the net in the 71st minute to make it 2-1, lifting Fortis’s hopes of a first victory in the competition.
The turnaround began in the 67th minute, when Rafael Tudu backheeled the ball home from inside the six yard box after a precise pass from Babou. The Gambian created two of the three goals and was the outstanding performer as Fortis took control of the second half.
Fortis had fallen behind to a precise Sherzod Makhmadiev shot in the 12th minute. Defender Takam Severin was then sent off with a straight red card for a dangerous foul on Japanese midfielder Noriki Akada, yet Regar TadAZ held their 1-0 lead until half time.
Fortis ended Group C with one win and two defeats. They lost 3-0 to hosts Al Qadsia of Kuwait in their opener and 2-1 to India’s FC Goa, a late goal deciding that match, and both results had already confirmed their elimination.