Ctg Abahani move to 3rd

Chittagong Abahani moved up to third position on the JB Bangladesh Premier League table with a 3-1 win over Team BJMC as the ninth round was wrapped up at the Sylhet District Stadium yesterday.

Leonel Saint Preux scored twice to give the port city side their fifth win in nine matches, taking their points tally to 18, one ahead of Dhaka Abahani and one behind joint leaders Rahmatganj MFS and Sheikh Jamal DC.

After a rather indifferent first 45 minutes, the game sprang into life with two goals coming at either end in the stoppage time of the first half.

Preux, the Haitian striker, broke the deadlock in the second minute of stoppage time with a towering header on a corner from Zahid Hossain, but Team BJMC hit back immediately, with Zakir Hossain's shot taking a wicked deflection off a Chittagong Abahani defender, leaving goalkeeper Ashraful Islam Rana completely wrong-footed.

The port city side turned up the ante after restart and kept the Team BJMC defenders on their toes. Skipper Mamunul Islam, who saw a brilliant volley brush the crossbar in the first half, teed up the second goal for substitute Mohammad Ibrahim in the 69th minute. Preux then wrapped up the victory in the final minute of stoppage time, stabbing home Mamunul's cut-back from close range.

Meanwhile, Arambagh Krira Sangha moved up to seventh position after a 5-1 victory over Feni Soccer Club – their second victory in the league – in the last match of the round.