Mohammedan hold hosts
Mohammedan SC kept their hopes of making it to the semifinals of the Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup alive by playing out a goalless draw against holders Chittagong Abahani after Shaheen Asmayee FC bounced back to hand a 3-1 defeat to Manang Marshyangdi Club.
The draw puts hosts Chittagong Abahani on top with four points from two outings, one point ahead of joint-second place teams Shaheen Asmayee and Manang Marshyangdi while Mohammedan lie at the bottom with one point.
All four teams from Group B still have a chance to make it to the semifinals with the final round of matches to be played Friday.
Buoyed by a 3-0 win over Shaheen Aysmayee FC, Abahani were expected to dominate against Mohammedan, who came into the match after a 0-2 defeat to Manang Marshyangdi Club. However, the scenario at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong was totally different as Chittagong Abahani chased Mohammedan for most of the match.
The Black and Whites showed their character as they put up a spirited performance and the hosts had a few close shaves, but Mohammedan could not cash in on the opportunities as Chittagong Abahani goalkeeper Ashraful Islam Rana made a string of brilliant saves. He first denied Towhidul Alam Sabuj, before twice keeping Gambian marksman Dawda Ceesay's efforts at bay in the first half.
Chittagong Abahani also exposed Mohammedan's backline once when Haitian forward Augustin Walson darted into the box after evading three players, but his cutback to his Nigerian partner Kingsley Chigozie came a bit too late and Mohammedan goalkeeper Mamun Khan easily pounced on the ball.
Mamun also made an acrobatic save to the left to stop a goal-bound free-kick from Walson.
After resumption, Chittagong Abahani took control of the midfield and pressed for the lead, coming close to doing so in the 63rd minute, but captain Mamunul Islam's powerful drive from outside the box came back off the woodwork.
Chittagong Abahani carved out their last, and perhaps their simplest, chance in the 83rd minute but midfielder Jamal Bhuiyan failed to tap into an open net from touching distance and the hosts had to settle for the draw.
“We were lucky not to lose this game because Mohammedan could have won the match. They had the mental approach to win the match, which was absent in my boys. The players did not play according to the plan which was frustrating for us,” said Chittagong Abahani coach Saiful Bari Tiu.
“It was a do-or-die match for us to stay in the race and we should have won the match. I am really disappointed to not have won this match,” said MSC coach Abdul Kaiyum Sentu.
In the day's other match, captain Amiruddin Sharifi scored a hattrick to power Shaheen Asmayee to a 3-1 win over Manang Marshyangdi.
The Afghani outfit had no alternative but to win the match to stay alive in the race for the semis and they came out strong against their Nepalese opponents, who were hoping to ensure a semifinal berth with a second win after their victory over Mohammedan.
Amiruddin struck in the 36th and 66th minutes to put Shaheen Asmayee ahead, but hopes of a comeback were ignited when Bimal Basnet scored for Manang Marshyangdi in the 72nd minute. However, Amiruddin put a dagger in the Nepalese's hearts with his third goal just five minutes later.
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