Abahani beat namesake
Title contenders Abahani rode on the Hungarian duo again in the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League to beat their Chittagong namesake 2-0 in their third match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
After a barren first half, Szabolcs Csorba put the four-time professional football league champions ahead in the 73rd minute, before Gabor Demjen wrapped up the victory from the spot in the 78th minute to alleviate any fears of being held like they were in their Federation Cup encounter.
Abahani came into the match with an emphatic 4-0 win over Feni Soccer Club but they struggled against the port city outfit with a hopeless midfield which could hardly pose any threat to the opponents throughout 90 minutes.
Abahani are used to launching attacks from both wings, but those were ineffective yesterday and creative midfielders like Shahedul Alam, Emon Mahmud and Pranotosh Kumar could not penetrate the Ctg Abahani backline for nearly one-and-a-quarter hours, before Csorba struck his fourth goal in three matches.
The Hungarian hitman, availing a through-pass from defender Shakil Ahmed Jr, placed his shot from inside the box to write his name on the scoresheet in every match he has played for the Sky Blues.
Five minutes later, Demjen converted the spot kick to raise his goal-tally to three in as many matches after his compatriot Csorba was brought down by Guinean defender Camara Mahamod inside the box.
“I am not satisfied with the way Chittagong Abahani played throughout the match. They lacked the pace they had in the previous match. They were also slow to penetrate the opponents,” said Abahani's Austrian coach George Kotton.
With a second win in three matches, Abahani raised their point tally to seven from three outings, two less than joint leaders Sheikh Jamal DC, Mohammedan SC and Muktijoddha Sangsad, who yesterday beat Team BJMC 3-1 to notch up their third successive win.
Egyptian midfielder Fekry Zeiada, Ghanaian defender Abass Inussah and Senegalese striker Camara Sarba struck one goal each for Muktijoddha Sangsad, while Nabib Newaj Jibon reduced the margin for Team BJMC.