The Daily Star needed a totally committed guest under the bar to cross the quarterfinal hurdle and set up a semifinal showdown with Sangbad Protidin in the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) football tournament.

The guest player in question was Mojibur Rahman, whose three brilliant saves in the shootout; including a scorcher that swelled his palm and required ice treatment after the game, gave The Daily Star a 2-1 tie-breaker win against Kaler Kantha after regulation time had failed to end the morning's duck at the Handball Stadium yesterday. Fazlur Rahman fired in the first goal for the popular English language daily in the shootout before Mohammed Al-Amin struck to confirm a victory in a tight contest. The Daily Star will play the second semifinal today, and a victory will put them in pole position to retain the title.

The final is also billed today after the two semifinals.