Winning start for Roxy
Mahbub Hossain Roxy marked his Bangladesh Premier League debut as a coach with a victory as Sheikh Jamal DC eased past Team BJMC 3-0 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
The national under-19 coach was the centre of discussion last week after being appointed coach of the three-time champions following the departure of Joseph Afusi. Roxy picked up right from where Afusi had left, whose last game in charge was 3-0 win over Mohammedan.
The win not only took the Dhanmondi giants just two points behind leaders Chittagong Abahani on 30 points, but also extended their winning streak to three matches. Team BJMC, on the other hand, remained in seventh position with 16 points.
Though the three-time champions looked a bit shaky in the first half, they reorgansied after the break and scored two goals in the span of nine minutes to take the game away from Team BJMC.
“I analysed the previous game against Mohammedan in which Sheikh Jamal could have been 3-0 down within the first 30 minutes, which is why I instructed the players to play build up the game from behind and keep the pace a bit slow,” Roxy said. “Even though we created two scoring chances [but could not capitalise], we came back strongly in the second half to outclass the opposition.”
Right-back Khan Mohammad Tara whipped in a cross from the right for Raphael Odoyin, who chested down the ball to dance past a defender before blasting a powerful angular shot into the net in the 53rd minute. The Nigerian forward doubled the lead eight minutes later after a nice build-up play between Zahed Parvez and Solomon King.
Midfielder Zahed played Solomon on the right flank and the Gambian forward put a lob inside the box for Raphael, who volleyed home to raise his tally to seven goals. Solomon killed off the game on 82 minutes by snatching the ball from BJMC defender Mushfiqar Uddin Shimul and sending it over the head of advancing goalkeeper Arifuzzama Himel. That goal took Solomon to seven goals and placed him on top of the scorers' chart alongside Raphael, Kingsley Chigozie of Mohammedan and Towhidul Alam Sabuj of Chittagong Abahani.
“What I am doing is follow the formation that the players are used to because a sudden change in formation may backfire,” Roxy said.
“Our players played matured football and gave a good show. I am happy with their performance and I'm happy to start the journey with a victory,” said an ecstatic Roxy.
Meanwhile, Brothers Union broke Sheikh Russel KC's seven-match unbeaten run when they handed a single-goal defeat to the 2012 champions in the day's second match.
Congolese striker Siyo Zunapio separated the sides in the 76th minute nodding in a long-ball from Enamul Haque. The outcome left both teams at their previous positions, with Sheikh Russel in fifth with 19 points from 13 matches and Brothers in 10th.
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