Robson Robinho converted a 16th-minute spot-kick as defending champions Bashundhara Kings moved into the quarterfinals of the Riviera Independence Cup with a 1-0 win over Bangladesh Police in their Group D fixture yesterday.

The Brazilian picked the right corner of the net past Mohammad Nehal's diving hands after his compatriot Jonathan Fernandes was brought down inside the box by Isa Faysal to make the difference in the first game of the day at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur.

It was a hard-fought victory, though, for the 2018 champions, who were coming into the match on the back of a 6-0 thrashing of Bangladesh Navy.

The second win in two matches took Kings to six points and they would meet Chattogram Abahani in their last group match on Wednesday.

Robson's goal was the first shot on target and one of the very few in the entire match.

Police's first real chance came in the 31st minute when Monaem Khan Raju delivered a low cross from close range but Bishwanath Ghosh cleared the danger with an excellent block.

Police's Moroccan attacker Adil Kouskous saw his shot parried away by Kings goalkeeper Anisur Rahman four minutes later as the defending champions went into the break with a slender lead.

Bonsnian centre-forward Stojan Vranjes had a powerful volley from outside the box on the hour-mark but Nehal was equal to the task at Police goal.

Police almost got a deserved equaliser on 79 minutes when Kouskous unleashed a curling effort from the top of the box, only for Anisur to palm it to the underside of the bar, the ball dropping just outside the goalline as Kings edged a solitary-goal victory against a plucky Police side,

Ctg Abahani deny Navy

Ten-man Chattogram Abahani came from a goal down to hold Bangladesh Navy to a 1-1 draw in the second match of the day.

Jewel Rana broke the deadlock for the services team in the 14th minute of the match with a header on a floated cross from Rahmat Mia.

That one goal seemed enough to settle the tie when Chattogram Abahani were reduced to 10 men on 85 minutes as midfielder Sohel Rana was shown a second yellow card for a reckless challenge on Galibe Newaz.

However, the port city outfit found an equaliser out of nowhere in the 89th minute, Nigerian defender Kehinde Yisa, unmarked inside the box, nodding home Kamrul Islam's free-kick.

The draw took Maruful Haque's charges to second position with two points while Navy, studded with former and current national team players, stay bottom of the group with a single point.

Police, also with a single point, are in third position due to superior goal difference over Navy.