It was Alfaz Ahmed whose 58th minute made the difference in an absorbing first semifinal in front strong crowd. The lethal marksman produced a spectacular header after a long throw from Hasan-al-Mamun came his way via a back header from Saifur Rahman Moni.

The all-red section of the crowd roared in approval as soon as the ball entered the net eluding the fingertips of Wanderers keeper Mohammad Ali, who had been outstanding under the bar until that moment.

Although Muktijoddha picked up the pace in the second half, chances were even in the first 45 minutes.

The match started with a lot of promise for the big-spending Sylhet outfit. They came close to scoring in the 16th minute when Bode Baba Lola, one of their two inspirational Nigerian recruits, had Muktijoddha custodian Amin at his mercy. But he rushed his left-footer only to see the ball travelling wide of the mark.

But it was Wanderers striker Milon who should take the blame for missing three distinct chances in a pulsating affair.

But despite being eliminated from the knockout stage, the unheralded yet enterprising Wanderers can take heart they certainly impressed everybody in their first season at the national level.

For Muktijoddha the victory also broke their jinx for not appearing in the final of the previous two editions.

Their central defender Rajani Kanta gave a virtuoso performance to win the man-of-the-match award.

Wanderers will now have to summon their strength to play Abahani in the third-place play-off match tomorrow at 4.30 pm the same venue.

Yellow cards: Ladi Baba Lola (Moulvibazar Wanderers) and Hasan-al-Mamun (Muktijoddha)

TEAMMUKTIJODDHA: Aminul, Hasan-al Mamun, Rajani, Sujon, Papel, Matiur Munna (Rakib), Pradip, Charles Ghansa, Arman, Moni and Alfaz.

MOULVIBAZAR WANDERERS: Mohammad Ali, Gobinda, Apu (Jahangir), Fakrul, Deen Mohammad, Milan, Kabir, Johnny (Jalal), Ladi Baba Lola, Chanchal (Mithu) and Bode Baba Lola.

Referee: Mansoor Azad