MSC move to second

A youthful Mohammedan SC came from behind to beat Team BJMC 2-1 in their Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League encounter at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

After the barren first half, Nigerian striker Eleta Kingsley put a spirited BJMC ahead with a calm placing shot before Guinean Ismael Bangoura levelled the margin with a header in the 80th minute and teenage winger Jewel Rana wrapped up their eighth victory with another header three minutes from time to take the Black and Whites close to Sheikh Jamal DC with 26 points, just one point behind the league leaders.

Mohammedan came into the game on the back of a morale-boosting 3-1 win over Chittagong Abahani but they failed to keep their momentum in the match and struggled throughout the game, barring the last 15 minutes where they luckily struck two goals in the span of seven minutes to avoid an embarrassment.

BJMC, who held mighty Brothers Union to a 2-2 draw in the previous game, displayed beautiful football to keep Mohammedan under pressure from the outset and created at least three scoring chances in the first half but failed to cash in on any of them, thanks to a brave performance by Mohammedan's second choice goalkeeper Ashraful Haque Rana.

Rana intercepted a Faisal Ahmed cross and it fell to Nigerian midfielder Samson Iliasu, whose goal-bound shot was cleared by defender Yonta Michael in the 17th minute before Rana, who got a call up to the national team, saved a Saiful Islam free-kick and then blocked a Jakir Hossain goal-bound shot in the 33rd minute. 

Eleta Kingsley found Mohammedan goalkeeper Rana alone but the Nigerian struck straight at the keeper on the stroke of the break but the former Muktijoddha Sangsad striker made amends by putting BJMC ahead in the 60th minute, when he was played in by Samson and the striker raced into the box to place his left-footed shot into the far post.

Jewel Rana ran down the left to whip a well-judged cross for Bangoura, whose header kissed the back of the net hitting the inside of the crossbar while the teenage winger ensured Mohammedan victory, heading a Belinga Amabara corner home in the 87th minute to send Mohammedan fans into rapture.