Mitul Marma was on the verge of becoming a villain, but the national goalkeeper emerged as the hero in a thrilling penalty shootout as 10-man Abahani triumphed 4-2 over reigning champions Bashundhara Kings in Qualifier-1 of the Federation Cup in Cumilla yesterday.

Abahani's triumph meant the 12-time champions advanced to the final, leaving three-time champions Kings to play in Qualifier-2 against Rahmatganj MFS, who defeated Brothers Union 2-1 in the Eliminator fixture at Rofiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh yesterday.

In the highly anticipated match at Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium, neither Kings nor Abahani could create any clear-cut chances in the first half, but the holders headed to the interval with an extra-man advantage after Abahani defender Asaduzzaman Bablu received a second yellow card in the 42nd minute.

Making the most of the momentum, Kings pressed hard and were duly rewarded in the 57th minute when Mojibur Rahman Jonny, capitalising on a misunderstanding between Mitul and substitute central-back Shakil Ahmed, netted the ball home.

However, Abahani looked different after conceding the lead, and at one stage, coach Maruful Haque sent in three forwards, compromising the backline. The decision soon paid off with Arman Faisal Akash striking the equaliser in the 84th minute, firing a rebound after Brazilian midfielder Raphael Augusto struck the post from a free kick.

The match eventually rolled into the shootout after extra time failed to produce any decider, before the country's No.1 Mitul showed his character, amending his mistakes to drive Abahani into the final in the dramatic shootout, becoming the Player of the Match in the process.

After seeing his teammate miss the first shot -- the only one in five attempts -- Mitul stopped Kings' third shot from Rabby Hossain Rahul before Kings' new signing Daciel Santos floated the fourth shot over the crossbar, leaving Abahani players and coaching staff in raptures.

"We could easily have avoided conceding the lead had Mitul come forward, but later he performed well under the post," Abahani head coach Maruful told The Daily Star over the phone.

"The match turned hard for Abahani after Bablu was sent off, but the boys really played according to plan," he added.

"After being reduced to 10 men, we invited Kings into our midfield and then built up the attack quickly, with Raphael and Emeka [Ogbugh] helping control the midfield as well as creating chances."

Interestingly, Abahani had beaten Kings only twice in their previous 16 meetings before the start of the current season, but the Sky Blues managed to beat Kings in both season meetings -- starting with a 1-0 win in a Bangladesh Premier League encounter.