Mohammedan thrash Baridhara

Mohammedan Sporting Club consolidated fourth spot on the Bangladesh Premier League table with a 4-1 thrashing of Uttar Baridhara Club at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The win took the Black and Whites to 32 points from 18 matches, four clear of Chattogram Abahani while Baridhara remained in ninth position with 15 points from 17 matches.

Amir Hakim Bappi gave Mohammedan the lead in the 19th minute with a powerful left-footed shot from the top of the box after Souleymane Diabate's cross was only half-cleared by the Baridhara defence.

However, national team striker Sumon Reza equalised for Baridhara five minutes later -- his seventh of the campaign -- with a diagonal shot from inside the box as the Mohammedan defence was caught napping on Mostafa Karhaba's throw-in. Diabate restored Mohammedan's lead with a towering header on a corner from Rakib Khan Evan on 36 minutes before Anik Hossain's volley from the top of the box gave Mohammedan a 3-1 lead in the stoppage time of the first half.

Baridhara had several chances to reduce the arrears in the second half but Saiddoston Fozilov's failure from the spot and then a string of misses from Reza meant there was no coming back for Mahbubul Ali Manik's charges. They were instead punished for their profligacy by Yassan Ouatching in the 81st minute as Mohammedan ran out with a comfortable victory.

The second match of the day between Rahmatganj MFS and Bangladesh Police ended in a 1-1 draw.

Felix Chidi gave Rahmatganj a 13th-minute lead with a superb strike from the edge of the box but the lead was cancelled out by Christian Kouakou from the spot on 26 minutes.

The draw left Police in eighth position with 18 points from 17 matches while Rahmatganj remained in 10th position with 15 points from 18 matches.