MSC, Muktis split points

Muktijoddha Sangsad KC goalkeeper Rasel Mahmud Liton jumps to clear the ball away during their Bangladesh Premier League match against Mohammedan SC at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

The 7th Bangladesh Premier League produced its first stalemate in five matches when two heavyweights -- Mohammedan SC and Muktijoddha Sangsad KC played out a 1-1 draw at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
Nigerian hitman Nkwocha Kingsley put Federation Cup runners-up Muktijoddha Sangsad ahead in the 86th minute of the match only to be cancelled out by a 93rd minute penalty conversion from Mohammedan skipper Zahid Hasan Emily.
Though it was the first big encounter of the league but the focus was mainly on how much Mohammedan's new Portuguese coach Rui Jose Capela Batista worked with his charges in two days' of preparation.
“This is my first experience here and I am satisfied with what I have seen. But I need more time to make this side perform better,” said Capela after the match.
The 44-year old Portuguese coach went on with a 4-3-3 formation, with national forwards Zahid Hasan Emily, Wahed Ahmed and Egyptian Mostafa Seddik in the first half before Seddik was substituted in the second half. Emily and Sedddik got two excellent opportunities in the first half to score, but failed to take advantage as Muktijoddha goalkeeper Rasel Mahmud Liton and Egyptian defender Elgilani Nagi rescued them.
Winger Zahid Hossain should have put Mohammedan ahead in the 25th minute but the winger was too slow to catch a nice through-pass from Emily and goalkeeper Liton came out of his line to clear the danger while it was again Liton, who was forced to make a diving save off a Zahid cross from the right in the 34th minute. Just two minutes before the break, Seddik dribbled nutmegged one defender inside the box, but could not get any power behind his shot.
The game assumed a fast pace in the second half and in the 62nd minute, Wahed darted into the Muktijoddha danger zone with the goalkeeper to beat but Nagi made a brilliant slide tackle to rescue the All Reds.
Muktis stepped up the ante and created some pressure but two timely interventions from defender Mintu Sheikh kept the Black and Whites in the match, before Capela made two changes in the midfield to re-establish control.
Muktijoddha came close to taking the lead in the 81st minute but Nkwocha saw his clever side-foot attempt narrowly mis the target. But the Nigerian made sure that he got on the scoresheet five minutes later when he outmuscled, albeit a bit forcefully, Mohammedan defender Baybeck to drive the ball to find the far corner of the net.
Mohammedan stepped went desperate and played some long balls inside the Muktijoddha box in the closing minutes and Zahid came close to pulling at the stroke of ninety minutes but his close-range effort was saved by Liton before Zahid paved the way for the equaliser.
Zahid went down under the charge of Muktijoddha's Nigerian defender Eleta Benjamin inside the box and Emily converted the resulting penalty to earn a valuable point for the Black and Whites.
Muktijoddha coach Shafiqul Islam Manik felt the referee buckled under the pressure of officiating a big match, but gave credit to his players to show work great ethics.
“What I felt from a distance was that it probably was not a foul (the penalty incident). You see a referee has to make a number of decisions. But the decisions that he makes at crucial moments, makes him a good or bad referee. BFF members sitting on the dug-out may also put them under pressure,” said the veteran coach.