Abahani Limited continued their frustrating start to the new season, playing out a 1-1 draw against newcomers Chittagong City FC in their Federation Cup opener on Friday.

The result perfectly mirrors their start to the Bangladesh Football League (BFL), where the Sky Blues also dropped points in a 1-1 stalemate with PWD in their first match.

After a goalless first half at the Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj, Abahani finally broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute when Rabiul Hasan found the back of the net.

However, Maruful Haque’s men could not hold onto their advantage for long. Just 11 minutes later, Raphael scored for Chittagong City to level the match at 1-1, a scoreline both teams carried through to the final whistle.

The draw means all three matches played so far in Group A of the competition have ended without a winner. In the group’s other fixtures, Fakirerpool Young Men’s Club held a Fortis side, who recently enjoyed a massive 6-0 league victory, to a 1-1 draw, whilst Brothers Union and Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society played out a goalless stalemate.