Bashundhara Kings broke their final curse against Abahani with a 5-3 win in penalty shootout in the eventful final of the Federation Cup at the Mymensingh District Stadium yesterday.

Even though Kings have a positive win record against Abahani, they had lost both finals against the Sky Blues – in the 2018 Federation Cup and the 2022 Independence Cup. Yesterday's win against the 12-time champions means Kings now have their second silverware of the season following the triumph in the season-opening Challenge Cup.

Goalkeeper Mehedi Hasan Srabon played a key role in the shootout to thwart Abahani's second shot from Nigerian forward Emeka Ogbugh, the stop proving enough for Kings' fourth Federation Cup title.

Abahani, who had beaten Kings twice this season, could not break down the same opposition in the 15 minutes of extra time that was played yesterday after the first 105 minutes – regulation 90 minutes and first half of extra time – yielded a 1-1 draw last Tuesday. Heavy shower followed by bad light had forced postponement of the final that day, with the game's governing body rescheduling the remainder of the fixture to yesterday. A total of 17 players were booked and one saw red card in the high-voltage final which spanned a week.

Kings' Romanian coach Valeriu Tita was happy to lead the side to the season's second trophy as he believes it wasn't the same Bashundhara side that played last season.

"I had no sleep in the last seven days. I had slept only for one hour before this final because it was not an easy task for us. All the people talked about Bashundhara but everyone must understand that this Bashundhara side is not the Bashundhara side of last season. This is another Bashundhara with no good condition of players and no money," Tita told reporters after the final.

The 58-year-old also believes that this title will open the door for Kings' participation in the AFC Challenge League next season.

"Now our target is to finish second in the league. Before the start of the second part of the season, I lost defender Tariq (Kazi)…. We have now chance to play in the AFC Challenge League," claimed Tita.

Goalkeeper Srabon, often criticised for his fumbles in Kings' shirt, did a tremendous job under the bar yesterday.

"We had a plan [about the shootout] and I applied the coach's instructions. We took preparation for penalties as we knew the final might roll into tiebreak," said Srabon.

Captain Tapu Barman was ecstatic after becoming joint top-scorer with three goals and being adjudged the best player of the tournament.

"In a difficult season like this, winning two trophies out of two is a big achievement. But this title will be special for me because I became joint top goal-scorer and player of the tournament. Thanks to Bashundhara Kings management for keeping faith on me as captain," Tapu wrote on his social media account.

Highlights:

Player of the final: Mehedi Hasan Srabon (Kings)

Best goalkeeper: Mitul Marma (Abahani)

Highest scorers: Tapu Barman (Kings), Mohammad Ibrahim (Abahani), Arif Hossain (MSC), Nabib Newaj and Samuel Boateng (Rahmatganj), Sazzad Hossain and Mostapha Drammeh (Brothers).

Most valuable player: Tapu Barman (Kings)

Fair play trophy: Rahmatganj MFS