Mohammedan stay ahead

Mariner Youngs striker Saif Hossain battles for possession with Mohammedan's Sabbir Hossain Rana during their Green Delta Insurance Premier Hockey League at the Maulana Bhashani Hockey Stadium yesterday.Photo: STAR

Titans Mohammedan Sporting Club consolidated their lead in the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League with a convincing 4-2 win over Mariner Youngs Club in a Super League encounter at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium yesterday.
Pakistanis Mohammad Sabbir and Mohammad Atique, locals Jahidul Islam Rajon and Mamunur Rahman Chayan netted one goal each for the Black and Whites while Sohanur Rahman and Mainul Islam scored one goal apiece for the vanquished.
The 11th win in as many matches meant Mohammedan lifted their collection of points to 33, six ahead of archrivals Abahani, who however have played a match less than the leaders.
The margin might give an impression that the Motijheel-based outfit raced past their youthful opponents, who suffered a 5-2 defeat in the first round, easily but the fact was Mohammedan faced stiff challenge in the second half from their neighbours and successfully overcame the hurdles thwarting their scoring efforts.
Forward Sabbir put Mohammedan ahead in the seventh minute through a field goal before Mariner hit back with a goal through a Sohanur field goal in the 11th minute.
Two minutes later Pakistani defender Atique converted a penalty stroke and Rajon struck the third from penalty corner in the 13th minute to make it 3-1.
Chayan made the result safe converting another penalty corner in the 20th minute, but Mohammedan probably did not expect the way Marnier played in the second half.
However, the efforts from inexperienced BKSP players of Mainer were not enough to surprise the star-studded Mohammedan as Isa Mia, Chayan, Hasan, Atique stood tall in the backline to keep the Mariner attack at bay.
They, however, got the dividend in the 51st minute when forward Mainul Islam found the back of the net with a fierce hit.
Mohammedan could also have extended their lead, but they miserably failed to cash in on the penalty corners they were given in the second half.