Mohammedan, Brothers lose ground

Both Mohammedan Sporting Club and Brothers Union have apparently been derailed from the title race of the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League after playing out a goalless draw at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The draw took in joint third position alongside Abahani on 27 points from 14 outings while Brothers stay in fourth position with 25 points.

The stalemate virtually helped league leaders Sheikh Jamal DC, who are on 33 points from 14 matches and title contenders Sheikh Russel KC, who are on 29 points from 13 matches.

“We are almost out of the title race, depending on how the other teams fare,” conceded Mohammedan coach Josimuddin Ahmed Josy at the post-match briefing.

“You never get so many chances in such a big match and if you fail to avail those opportunities, the match will go away from you,” said Josy. “We will now fight for the second or the third position in the league.”

The match was an evenly-fought affair as both sides created a number of scoring chances but neither side managed to make those count. In the first half, Mohammedan's Cameroon midfielder Belinga Amabara's curling shot on the half-hour mark narrowly missed the target while Ismail Bangoura headed wide from close range in the 36th minute.

After resumption, Brothers, despite the absence of league's top-scorer Augustine Walson due to suspension, yielded at least three scoring chances but failed to convert them, thanks to some good valiant defending from Eleta Benjamin Jr, who made two last-ditch sliding tackles.

Mohammedan forward Jewel Rana later saw his effort thwarted by Brothers goalkeeper Biplob Bhattacharjee in the 70th minute before he drove wide of the open net in the last minute of regulation time.