Abahani through to semifinals

Abahani moved into the semifinals of the KFC Independence Cup as the fourth and final team after a 1-0 victory over Sheikh Russel KC in the last group fixture of the season's curtain-raising tournament at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Young national team forward Jewel Rana, who came on as a second-half substitute, scored the winning goal in the 72nd  minute with a well-placed shot as the Sky Blues finished runners-up in Group B behind Sheikh Russel KC. Sheikh Jamal DC and Chittagong Abahani had already confirmed their last four berths from Group A.

With Sheikh Russel having already confirmed the top position in the group after three wins and a draw, the Sky Blues needed to avoid defeat in this match to pip Team BJMC to the second spot. And the game meandered along for long towards a draw, only for the diminutive winger to seal all three points for the Sky Blues outfit.

The first half saw little action, with Senegalese forward Camara Sarba's volley, which was acrobatically fisted over by Sheikh Russel goalkeeper Rasel Mahmud Liton in the 39th minute, being the only notable incident of the half.

The second half was far more open and engaging, especially for Abahani who looked desperate to confirm their last four berth. Abahani's English forward Lee Tuck saw his dipping free-kick from 30 yards cleanly gathered by Liton before Sarba provided a delightful chip inside the box for Sunday Chizoba, only to see the Nigerian blast it over the bar. But the consistent pressure paid off in the 72nd minute, with Sarba in the thick of things again. This time the Senegalese forward opened up the opposition defence with a clever back-heel, which was spotted early by the fleet-footed Jewel, who ran onto the loose ball and slid it past Liton into the empty net.

The win set up Abahani a semifinal clash against Group A winners Sheikh Jamal while Group B winners Sheikh Russel will face off against Chittagong Abahani in the second semifinal. The two semifinals will take place on May 3 and 4 as the tournament heads into a ten-day break to make way for Sheikh Jamal's AFC Cup home fixture against Tampines Rovers on April 26 and the BFF elections on April 30.

The final is scheduled to take place on May 7.