Muktijoddha crash out
Zahed Parvez fired Abahani into the semifinals of the Protiti Pharma Victory Day Club Cup football tournament with one spectacular goal and an assist for Zahid Hassan Emily as the sky-blues knocked Muktijoddha Sangsad out of the competition with a 2-0 win yesterday.
B. League champions Abahani finished Group B runners-up to Senior Division side Badda Jagarani, who crushed Dhaka Wanderers 4-1 in the day's earlier match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium to win the group by virtue of a better goal difference.
Both teams ended level on six points while ousted professional league giants Muktijoddha were left in the cold with four points following their first defeat in the event.
In the day's first match, surprise pack of the tournament Badda displayed a lively brand of football to outplay fellow Senior Division side Wanderers.
Striker Rana, who set skipper Mintu to head home the opening goal after 26 minutes, doubled the lead in the 50th minute with a placing shot from close.
Wanderers reduced the arrears in the 70th minute when substitute Ashraful nodded in a pinpoint cross by leftback and captain Jahangir but two late goals gave Badda the biggest victory of the tournament as well as the group championship.
Nasir picked up a weak clearance by rival goalie Niloy just outside the area and made it 3-1 with a clinical finish five minutes from time while Komol coolly placed the ball into the far corner after taking a square pass from man-of-the-match Rana in injury time.
Abahani, who suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Badda in the tournament opener, were under pressure to win the group finale but Muktijoddha, who needed just one point to join Badda in the last four, went for a draw from the start.
Maybe, this negative attitude resulted in too many fouls early into the crucial game with three Reds players being booked inside the first half hour compared to one from Abahani.
Kanchan was perhaps the luckiest player to play the full 90 minutes as he escaped with a yellow card following an off-the-ball infringement on Abahani midfielder Abul in the first half while his intentional handball after the break was surprisingly ignored by referee Ramkrishna Ghosh.
Muktijoddha, however, got the first real chance when Arman's superb overhead through picked up Alfaz unmarked at the left flank but the veteran striker's first-time volley hit the crossbar much to the relief of a 3,000-strong Abahani fans.
Abahani got the breakthrough one minute before halftime when Ujjal's solo move down the left unsettled the three-man Muktijoddha central defence.
After two efforts to shoot on goal were spoiled by opposition challenge inside the penalty area, Ujjal rolled the ball back towards Zahed whose low left-footed drive from 20 yards gave Aminul no chance at the goal.
Abahani came close to make it 2-0 in the stoppage time but Tipu's curling freekick was brilliantly palmed over the bar by Aminul.
Aminul saved a drop-volley by Tipu while Alfaz shot the ball over in an otherwise dull second half when the sky-blues played the waiting game in a bid to hold onto the slim lead.
It paid off when a sudden burst by Zahed helped Abahani seal the victory in the 77th minute. The diminutive winger, adjudged man-of-the-match, chased a long pass from the midfield and sent a crossfield centre from the right flank for an onrushing Emily to nod the ball into Aminul's left-hand post.
Down and out, Muktijoddha never had the steam to come back from two goals down and avoid a premature exit.
Yellow cards: Pradip, Abul, Tipu (Abahani) and Kanchan, Deen Mohammed, Maruf, Arman Aziz.
TEAMS
Abahani: Biplab, Siraji, Pradip, Nazrul, Wali, Zahed, Joy, Abul, Ujjal (Robin), Tipu (Pranotosh) and Emily.
Muktijoddha: Aminul, Hassan Al Mamun, Deen Mohammed, Rajani, Saiful (Titu), Parvez, Arman Aziz, Maruf (Manju), Arman, Kanchan and Alfaz (Enamul).
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