Mohammedan beaten; NoFeL see a lifeline
Newcomers NoFeL SC raised their hopes of avoiding relegation from the Bangladesh Premier League with a lone-goal victory against Chittagong Abahani in their penultimate match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
The fifth win helped NoFeL SC leapfrog to 11th position on the 13-team table with 19 points from 23 outings, one more than 12th-placed Brothers Union, who however still have two matches in hand.
Chittagong Abahani, on the other hand, remained in seventh position with 24 points from 23 matches.
Smarting from four consecutive defeats, visitors NoFeL SC played comparatively better against Chittagong Abahani who held defending champions Abahani to a 2-2 draw in their previous match. The hosts came close to taking the lead in the seventh minute when Mamodu Bah headed narrowly wide on a free-kick from Kesto Kumar Bose.
Ismail Bangoura squandered a chance to give NoFeL SC the lead in the 41st minute when he saw his dipping chip from the edge of the box miss the target narrowly, with the goalkeeper beaten.
NoFeL SC broke the deadlock in the five minutes after restart when Jamiruddin ran down the left flank to enter the box before releasing a low cross for onrushing Farhad Mona, who tapped it home.
Afterwards, the fight was mainly confined in the midfield and NoFeL SC left the field with heads held high.
In the day’s second match, visitors Muktijoddha Sangsad handed a 2-1 defeat to a spirited Mohammedan SC to climb up to seventh position with 26 points from 23 matches. The Black and Whites slipped to ninth position with 24 points from 23 matches.
The fixture between Mohammedan and Muktijoddha Sangsad was more competitive compared to the one between Chittagong Abahani and NoFeL SC, and Muktijoddha Sangsad scored a brace in the second half after being denied twice by the woodwork.
Muktijoddha Sangsad, who played a 1-1 draw with Mohammedan in their first meeting in Gopalganj, looked more aggressive from the outset.
Winger Mehdi Hasan Royal saw his curling effort from the right gripped by goalkeeper Pappu Hossain after rattling the crossbar in the 11th minute while forward Ballo Famousa headed into the crossbar in the 18th minute.
Mohammedan came close to taking the lead in the 42nd minute but Jean Jules Ikanga headed wide while Toklish Ahmed struck straight to goalkeeper Sheikh Nahid Uddin in the 77th minute.
Muktijoddha Sangsad broke the deadlock when substitute Habibur Rahman Nolok drove home a cut-back from Tariqul Islam in the 81st minute before Famoussa doubled the lead with a solo effort in the 90th minute.
Diabate reduced the margin for Mohammedan in the stoppage time by volleying home a rebound inside the six-yard box, but that goal could not help Mohammedan avoid record 11 defeats in a single edition of the league.