Fortis, Ibrahim make most of unlikely opportunities

Fortis FC were not supposed to be in the AFC Challenge League preliminary round. Mohammad Ibrahim was not even coach Masud Parvez Kaiser's first choice as a loanee. Yet on Tuesday, both proved decisive as Fortis reached the group stage of Asia's third-tier club competition on their debut.

Ibrahim scored the only goal in Fortis' 1-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan's Muras United at the Bashundhara Kings Arena, expertly controlling Pa Omar Babou's through-ball inside the box before firing past the goalkeeper in the 52nd minute.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

For a relatively new club, it was a remarkable achievement. They only got the opportunity to play in the competition because champions Bashundhara Kings and runners-up Abahani were ineligible due to FIFA registration bans.

Fortis, who had barely a month to prepare, made the most of the unexpected opportunity. They also had a slice of luck on the day when Muras were awarded a late penalty, only for the effort to crash against the post. Kaiser acknowledged that fortune can play its part in football and felt it had gone Fortis' way when it mattered.

The experienced coach also revealed that Ibrahim was not his first choice for the tournament. With uncertainty surrounding Abahani and Kings, his options were limited.

“I didn't actually have many options. With so much instability and uncertainty, getting national team players was not easy,” he said.

Before turning to Ibrahim, Kaiser had approached national team wingers Rakib Hossain and Faysal Ahmed Fahim. When neither was available, he looked for a player who had featured against Muras for Abahani last year, when the Kyrgyz side won 2-0 at the same stage of the competition.

“Ibrahim played there. You might ask why I didn't take Al-Amin. I didn't take Al-Amin because I perhaps needed experienced players,” Kaiser explained.

Ibrahim, 29, admitted he was surprised when Kaiser called him. He had last played for Bangladesh in September 2025, against Nepal, and recognised that the Fortis opportunity could be significant.

“To be honest, when I was selected for Fortis, I was a bit surprised at first, thinking, 'Why me?' But when Kaisar Bhai called me for the first time, I decided right then that no, I have to do something in the match, I have to make a difference,” Ibrahim said.

With national team coach Thomas Dooley watching from the stands, the goal could also strengthen Ibrahim's case for an international recall. But the forward insisted he was motivated by something bigger than his club future.

“When I was called up by Fortis, I took it as an opportunity to play for the country, I didn't think I was playing for Fortis or Abahani. In the jersey, we have a flag of Bangladesh and that is what I played for,” he said.