Heartbreak and pudding chaos: DS fall short after late semifinal collapse

The very group of The Daily Star journos, who routinely criticise professional footballers for complacency, ended up producing a masterclass in exactly that at the BFF Artificial Turf today. They lost the Kool BSJA Media Cup semifinal to Kalbela 4-3 on penalties after regulation time ended 1-1, with DS throwing away the lead in the final 30 seconds.

After enduring endless taunts from colleagues for failing to score from open play -- DS had reached the semis through three successive penalty shootout wins after all previous matches ended scoreless -- today’s mission was clear.

For them, the opponents were not fellow print-media house Kalbela; rather, DS were fighting a battle among themselves to score the open-play goal that had eluded them against News 24, Dhaka Post and Cricfrenzy.

That long-awaited moment finally arrived in the closing minutes of the first half, when DS skipper Khalid Hossain headed home a long delivery from defender Tanjeel Rezwan in spectacular fashion.

It was merely a gentle redirection of the ball, but one that also reflected Khalid’s sub-editing brilliance -- the sort of subtle tweak he incorporates to transform an ordinary copy into an enjoyable read.

The goal was reward for the composed football DS had displayed from the opening whistle. Even without their reliable No.9 Nabid Yeasin, DS repeatedly threatened to break through Kalbela’s defence in the first half.

Sabbir Hossain started in place of Nabid, who had to be left on the bench due to a bad groin strain he suffered the day before. The move also marked what may have been an unprecedented footballing phenomenon -- Sabbir had perhaps become the first player in history to display the most dynamic role anyone has ever played in the sport. 

Sabbir has now fulfilled duties as a defender, midfielder, striker, coach, tactician, waterboy and inspirational speaker to uplift the spirits of his teammates -- all within the space of just three days.

Much like the way he seamlessly contributes to both English and Bangla platforms at the desk, Sabbir effortlessly translated that versatility onto the pitch, combining sharply with Abdullah Al Mehdi down the left flank.

Mehdi, who missed the first two matches due to oversleeping, finally appeared fully awake -- threading crisp passes and clever exchanges with Sabbir and Khalid.

In another remarkable development, Mehdi even applauded an attempted long ball from Orchid Chakma -- temporarily forgetting the passionate complaints he had directed at the defender just a day earlier for not passing to him while unmarked.

Orchid and Tanjeel remained rock solid at the back, while the forward-midfield trio of Sabbir, Khalid and Mehdi made Kalbela sweat more than the raging afternoon sun overhead.

Ironically, however, the breakthrough arrived just after Nabid entered as a rolling substitute for Sabbir -- once again reinforcing the theory that merely having DS’s talismanic forward on the field was enough to psychologically damage opponents.

DS entered halftime ahead, but Kalbela returned for the second half with renewed urgency.

Goalkeeper Samsul Arefin Khan -- hero of all three previous matches -- was finally called into meaningful action, producing a timely save to deny a rare Kalbela attack.

But there was nothing that looked ominous -- until it suddenly did in the final seconds.

A team that had looked in complete control suffered one lapse. Orchid and Tanjeel -- defenders who had barely put a foot wrong all tournament -- produced one rare mix-up, and the entire narrative flipped.

Tanjeel embarked on a brilliant solo run from deep, gliding past a Kalbela player with a slick 360-degree turn before attempting to square the ball to Nabid, who had again entered as a rolling substitute.

But the pass took a deflection and fell kindly for Kalbela, who launched one desperate final charge for survival.

At the same time, Orchid had begun asking for a substitution after feeling discomfort in his left foot.

And in that one fleeting moment, DS’s defensive structure disappeared.

With both regular defenders caught out of position, Khalid, Rashed Shumon and substitute Mehedi Hasan were left trying to hold the line. Kalbela threw everything into one final attack and, in a flash, Arefin was beaten from open play for the first time in the tournament.

Kalbela scored with what was probably only their second shot on target -- hardly convincing, but more than enough to catch DS completely off guard.

The match went to penalties and, emotionally drained by the late collapse as well as a lengthy delay before the shootout began, DS could not summon a fourth straight tiebreak masterclass.

Arefin looked distraught. In his words, the delay had "disrupted momentum."

The goalkeeper, however, appeared less willing to discuss another possible factor behind his frustration.

The DS shot-stopper -- whose antics and heroics throughout the tournament had earned comparisons with Emiliano Martinez -- had been visibly furious earlier in regulation time when one of his own colleagues unknowingly sabotaged his time-wasting tactics.

Arefin had shouted at Ramin Talukder on the sidelines for trying to return the ball quickly after it went out of play, while the goalkeeper was desperately attempting to run down the clock and avoid yet another penalty shootout -- seemingly aware that luck had to run dry at some point.

Unfortunately for him, the fear proved prophetic.

Arefin saved one penalty in the shootout, while Tanjeel, Nabid and Khalid converted with authority as usual. But after a miss from Shumon, even DS’s resident Martinez could not rescue the situation.

The final whistle eventually brought acceptance for almost everyone -- including Mukul, perhaps the squad’s most selfless figure, who never once complained about limited minutes and instead contributed through warm-up drills, encouragement and occasional words of wisdom that sounded suspiciously like halftime TED Talks.

Almost everyone, that is, except Arefin.

Even an hour after the final whistle, Arefin could not bear the sense of a missed opportunity. He seemed visibly displeased even during the traditional post-match restaurant meet-up over naan, paratha, daal bhaji and mutton paya. 

His frustration soon revealed itself when he shouted at the waiter who wanted to serve Ramin a coconut pudding -- as if Ramin’s desire for something sweet after such a bitter result was a punishable offence.

Ramin, however, eventually got his pudding -- a small but significant victory in a day full of woes for DS.

And much like everyone else involved in this wonderfully eventful media tournament, the DS journos eventually returned to their desks, where match analysis, conspiracy theories, and endless “what-if” scenarios will now live on in newsroom discussions until the competition rolls around again next year.