Abahani too strong for Police
Abahani’s defence of a third consecutive title of the Federation Cup took off in flying fashion as the 11-time champions handed a 4-0 defeat to newcomers Bangladesh Police in the opening match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
Haitian forward Kervens Belfort scored twice while Nigerian marksman Sunday Chizoba and local forward Nabib Newaz Jibon netted one goal each in the match which started 15 minutes later than schedule time due to opening ceremony formalities.
Promoted Bangladesh Police created a hype by forming a good squad, roping in four players from Montenegro, Bulgaria, United States and Kyrgyzstan. However, they could hardly impress in their debut match against the traditional giants, conceding three goals in the first half before letting in the fourth goal after the break.
The Sky Blues stepped up boldly as expected to create a lot of scoring chances with new-signing Kyrgyz midfielder Edgar Bernhardt playing key role behind the three forwards – Sunday, Belfort and Jibon – while new Brazilian centre-back Mailson Alves kept the defence unbroken throughout the match.
Belfort broke the deadlock in the 28th minute with a glancing header from inside the box after Bernhardt whipped in a curling free-kick from outside the right-hand side of the box while Jibon, playing as captain, tapped in at far-post after a long throw-in from Raihan Hasan came his way following a deflection off a Police defender four minutes later.
Sunday killed off the contest after firing home from inside the box following Belfort’s assist two minutes before the break while Belfort converted a spot-kick in the 71st minute to ensure Abahani’s comprehensive victory.
Abahani coach Mario Lemos took off three foreign players – Edgar, Sunday and Belfort – by 70 minutes but Police could not make any dent on Abahani’s defence despite playing better in the second half.
“We had really very good training in last two weeks even though you never know what might come in season’s first match. Police is a new team and I saw some of their games. However, it is a good start for Abahani and we can improve more as it was our first game,” Lemos said. “One thing which we want to improve this season is defending as we conceded too many goals last season. I know our attackers can score but we need a very compact defensive line.”
Jibon said that he was happy with the overall performance of the team and his own goal, adding that he has a target of scoring 20 goals this season.
Bangladesh Police manager Sheikh Maruf Hasan said, “The defeat margin was big but our players played well. Abahani availed opportunities but we could not cash in on the opportunities we created in the match. I think we will play better in upcoming days.”