Mohammedan hit new low
A struggling Mohammedan SC exceeded their losing record in professional football league when they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Sheikh Jamal DC in their Bangladesh Premier League encounter at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
Mohammedan had suffered eight defeats each in the fourth, ninth and 10th editions of the league, but the falling yesterday surpassed that record to raise their defeat tally record to 10 after only 19 matches.
The 10th defeat overall in the current campaign left the Black and Whites in ninth position with 17 points while Sheikh Jamal toppled Chittagong Abahani to grab the sixth position with 24 points from 20 matches, thanks to first-half strikes from Gambian duo of Solomon King and Ebou Kanteh.
Mohammedan came into the match on the back of a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Chittagong Abahani, but the Motijheel-based outfit were unable to replicate that spirited performance against Sheikh Jamal, a side they have beaten only once in their 17 meetings in professional football league since Sheikh Jamal stepped into the professional circuit in 2010.
Sheikh Jamal, who lost 2-1 to Sheikh Russel in their previous match, took only a minute to break the deadlock when Shakhawat Hossain Rony played Solomon King inside the box and the Gambian forward placed the ball to the far post with goalkeeper Pappu Hossain having nothing to do.
Four minutes later, Mohammedan came close to levelling the margin but Souleymane Diabate could not collect a cross from Yousuf Sifat with only goalkeeper Mohammad Nayeem to beat.
Sheikh Jamal doubled the lead on the half-hour mark, with Ebou Kanteh running down the left flank to finish clinically at the near post.
After resumption, Mohammedan looked better in their movement and kept the opposition defence under pressure and created a few chances. Diabate pulled a goal back in the 54th minute after Sheikh Jamal goalkeeper Nayeem failed to stop a header from Zahid Hasan Emily.
Diabate came close to scoring the equaliser four minutes later but Nayeem denied him by diving to his right side while Kaiser Al Rabbi drove wide of target despite getting Nayeem alone.
The margin of victory for Sheikh Jamal could have been bigger had King and Didarul Alam not hit the post twice.
Meanwhile, in the day’s first match, Chittagong Abahani surrendered an early lead as they were held to a 1-1 draw by visitots Saif SC. Deiner Cordoba cancelled out a fourth-minute strike from Sohel Mia in the 25th minute to rescue Saif SC from their fourth defeat. With their fifth draw in 19 matches, Saif stayed in fourth position with 38 points while Chittagong Abahani slipped to seventh position with 23 points from 20 matches.