Sk Jamal go down fighting

Busan I'Park goalkeeper Lee Chang Gyun kept his side from conceding with a few saves like this one during their international friendly against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club didn't know what had hit them. Before they could warm up to the occasion, the Bangladesh Premier League champions found themselves two goals down against South Korea's top-tier outfit Busan I'Park in their FIFA International Friendly (Category II) at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
By the time Sheikh Jamal players found their footing in the game the contest had skewed heavily towards the visitors. But the Dhanmondi giants came back strongly and regrouped themselves to dominate possession and create quite a few scoring chances. And if not for a couple of brilliants saves from the I'Park keeper Lee Chang Gyun, both teams might have left the field with a share of the spoils. But eventually the two early goals proved enough for the visitors as the hosts left the field defeated, though they entertained the 8000-odd spectators, including Korea Football Association (KFA) president Chung Mong Gyu, also the chairman of the K League outfit Busan I'Park,
The opening goal of the match was perhaps one of the fastest goals to come at the big bowl, as the visitors took the lead within 43 seconds. Quick as it was, it was also arguably the best move of the game. A through pass from I'Park defender Ku Hyun Jun was flicked on brilliantly by Park Yong Ji to midfielder Kim Jing Gyu, who killed off the move with a first time volley into the far corner of the net.
The lead was doubled four minutes later when striker Yoon Dong-min latched on to a long ball from Ju Se Jong, before rounding Sheikh Jamal keeper Mazharul Islam Himel and putting the ball into the empty net.
The hosts then started stringing a few passes in midfield and by the end of the first quarter of an hour they were seeing more of the ball. The first shot from Sheikh Jamal came in the 22nd minute when talismanic midfielder Mamunul Islam saw his left-footed shot go wide. Being set up beautifully by Gambian forward Landing Darboe, Bangladesh skipper Mamunul unleashed a decent attempt on goal, but it was a few inches too wide.
Five minutes later, Wedson Ansleme bulldozed his way from the left flank before letting out a ripper of a shot, which missed the target by a few yards.
The easiest chance of the half fell to Landing in the 31st minute when he shrugged off a few defenders on a Mamunul free-kick, but the connection he made left a lot to be desired.  
The second half started slowly but a moment of sheer cynicism saw Sheikh Jamal goalkeeper Mazharul Islam Himel race out of the blocks and handle the ball, for which was cautioned with a yellow card. Meandering its way for the most part of the second half, the match burst into life once more in the last ten minutes as chances came knocking at both ends.
First it was Kim Jimin's header that thudded against the Sheikh Jamal post in the 81st minute, before Wedson's brilliant dipping free-kick from outside the box rattled I'park's crossbar three minutes later. Sohel Rana then tested the best of Chang Gyun as his powerful left-footer was tipped to safety by the agile Korean keeper's fingers. Mamunul's long ball was blasted way over the bar by Sheikh Jamal skipper Nasiruddin Chowdhury, before Wedson's free-kick from the left side of the box produced another  brilliant save from a backpeddling Chang Gyun. The referee blew the final whistle soon after, bringing an end to an entertaining game of football.