Photo : BSS

DHAKA, Aug 11, 2026 (BSS)– Mohammad Ibrahim scored the decisive goal as Bangladesh's Fortis Football Club beat Kyrgyzstan's Muras United 1-0 on Tuesday to reach the group stage of the AFC Challenge League for the first time.

Making their debut in Asian club competition, Fortis celebrated at the final whistle after securing a historic place in the tournament's main stage at Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital.

The two sides evenly played in the first half, with neither being able to break the deadlock.

Fortis took the lead seven minutes after the restart when Ibrahim collected a pass from Gambian forward Pa Omar inside the penalty area, beat a defender and fired past the goalkeeper in the 52nd minute.

Ibrahim had been on the losing side against Muras a year earlier while playing for Abahani. This time, his goal proved enough to send Fortis through.

Muras had a chance to equalise in the 80th minute after being awarded a penalty, but their forward's effort struck the post and bounced away.

Fortis survived by sustaining pressure in the closing stages, with Sri Lankan goalkeeper Sujan Perera and the team's defence keeping Muras at bay.

Fortis, who entered Bangladesh's top flight about six years ago, finished third in the latest Bangladesh Football League season.

They earned a place in the AFC Challenge League after champions Bashundhara Kings and runners-up Dhaka Abahani Limited were barred from the competition following FIFA sanctions.