The Dhaka Derby is a football rivalry between the Dhaka teams of Abahani and Mohammedan; although the rivalry was bigger in the past, it is still considered to be the biggest game in Bangladesh's domestic football scene.
Mohammedan was founded in 1936, and Abahani in 1972. Bangladesh football's popularity grew based on these two Dhaka clubs. The two clubs have divided the country's fans into two camps in a fierce rivalry of more than 50 years. The two clubs meet several times a year in competitions like the Federation Cup, Bangladesh Premier League, Independence Cup.
The two sides first met in 1973 in Dhaka First Division League. During that match, Abahani player Amalesh Sen scored the first goal in the history of Dhaka derby. Salahuddin scored the second goal for Abahani and the Abahani won that match by 2âÂÂ0 and caused an upset over the mighty Black and Whites.
In 1978, Bangladesh participated in Asian Games for the first time. Monwar Hossain Nannu, being the senior most player in the squad, was originally nominated as the captain for the Bangkok event. But, then the Federation changed their decision and goalkeeper Shahidur Rahman Shantoo from MSC was appointed the new captain. 7 Abahani players including Nannu withdrew from the team in protest. The much depleted Bangladesh team struggled in the tournament losing 1âÂÂ0 to Malaysia and 3âÂÂ0 to India. Following this incident, the federation generally tried to pick national team captain outside the big two Dhaka teams for the next few years.
The 1980s was the golden era of club football in Dhaka. Any match involving Mohammedan or Abahani would draw huge crowd at the Dhaka stadium. The rivalry between the two rivals was at its peak in this era. Before the match flags of Abahani and Mohamedan were observed in rooftops of Dhaka residents. Abahani won a hat-trick of titles in 1983, 1984 & 1985 and Mohammedan made a record of winning an unbeaten hat-trick of titles in 1986, 1987 & 1988-89. The rivalry reached its peak as fans always wanted their favorite team to win and they also contested in foreign tournaments and were the best sides.
Since the start of the Bangladesh Premier League in 2007, the rivalry has lost majority of its past fame.
Following statistics are from matches since 2007 B.League.
Following is the list of matches since 2007 B.League.
All players in bold are still active in the derby.
Friendly matches are not included in the following records unless otherwise noted.
This was the first ever Dhaka derby played in Dhaka First Division League. Amalesh Sen and Salahuddin scored the first and second goals for Abahani, defeating Mohammedan 2âÂÂ0.
In 1982, the Dhaka Derby between Abahani and Mohammedan ended in a 1âÂÂ1 draw, but it became one of the most infamous matches in our football history. Mohammedan scored first, and when Abahani equalized, the stadium erupted into chaos. Fans stormed the pitch, riots broke out, and even players were caught in the unrest. That day showed us not only the fierce rivalry between these two giants but also the passion, intensity, and sometimes danger that the Dhaka Derby carried in its golden era.
In a dramatic league clash, Mohammedan were trailing by two goals before Imtiaz Ahmed Nakib pulled off a stunning hat-trick to lead a remarkable comeback, sealing a 4âÂÂ3 win. The game ended with Motiur Rahman Munna scoring in the dying moments, cementing its place as one of the most thrilling derbies ever. NakibâÂÂs performance remains iconic in derby folklore.
This was the first ever derby match in the Bangladesh Premier League. The match took place in Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on 16 June 2007, which ended in a 0âÂÂ0 draw.
The final match of Bangladesh Super Cup first edition. After the BDR uprising in February 2008, security was tight for the final held in March. Yet there was no shortage of interest among the audience. For the final match, more spectators stayed outside the stadium than on the field. A 21st minute goal by Nigerian midfielder John Godwin gave Mohammedan the Citycell Super Cup title with a solitary goal victory.
In a mirror to the previous derby, Abahani answered back the following season with a commanding 4âÂÂ0 win over Mohammedan.
This was the final of 2022âÂÂ23 Federation Cup, it ended 3âÂÂ3 in the normal time, Diabate scored hat-trick for Mohammedan while Fahim, Colindres and Ogbugh scored for Abahani respectively. In additional time, Diabate scored his 4th goal in the 105th minute to give Mohammedan the lead. Mia scored in 118th minute equalizer to take the match into penalty shoot-out, where Mohammedan won 4âÂÂ2 after Augusto and Colindres failed to convert their spot-kicks after Emon failed to score his penalty for Mohammedan.