Abahani stay on top

Defending champions Abahani maintained their lead in the Grameenphone Bangladesh Premier League with a 2-0 win over Arambagh KS at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday, thanks to a brace from Nigerian striker Lucky Paul.
The four-time champions went into this match being toppled by Sheikh Russel earlier in the day, and needed nothing but a win to regain the top position. And they earned all the three points by dominating against a side they have won 12 times out of 12 in the professional football league.
The win took Abahani to 23 points from 10 matches while Arambagh remained one place above bottom-of-the-table Feni Soccer Club with six points from 10 matches.
Back to the game, Nigerian hitman Paul, playing his second match of the ongoing league, put Abahani ahead in the 39th minute with an angular shot from inside the box after capitalising on a through-pass from Shakhawat Hossain Rony.
Paul wrapped up the victory with his second goal nine minutes into the second half as he drove a Pranotosh Kumar through-pass home from the edge of the danger zone.
Away at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj, Brothers Union held hosts Muktijoddha Sangsad to a 1-1 draw.
Muktijoddha Sangsad went ahead in the 22nd minute through a strike from Brazilian striker Tyson Silva. But Komol Islam frustrated the hosts by equalising in the 80th minute. Mohammad Yousuf of Muktijoddha was shown red card after the match following his misbehaviour with the referees.
The draw extended an impressive run of form for Brothers which saw them win two and draw two in last four matches and
took them to eight points, on seventh position. Muktijoddha stayed at fourth position with 15 points.