MSC pip Arambagh

Mohammedan 1 – 0 Arambagh Toklish 16’

Mohammedan Sporting Club continued their upward swing in the Bangladesh Premier League with a 1-0 win against neighbours Arambagh KS at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Former national team forward Toklish Ahmed scored the all-important goal in the 16th minute to give the Black and Whites their second consecutive win, following an 11-match winless streak.

The win was a revenge for their 4-1 defeat against Arambagh in the first leg and it helped the Motijheel-based outfit move to 12 points from 14 matches, three above 11th-placed NoFeL Sporting Club. Arambagh, on the other hand, remained in fifth position with 19 points from 13 matches.

The match started from the fourth minute, the time where it was stopped due to a storm on the previous day. And the Black and Whites took only 16 minutes to take the lead when Toklish’s sliding effort on a cross from Souleymane Diabate found the net. Another former national team striker, Zahid Hasan Emily, saw two efforts bounce back off the woodwork, but those eventually did not matter as the Black and Whites bagged all three points.

Meanwhile, the 15th round of the league will be wrapped up today with a potential title-decider between league leaders Bashundhara Kings and defending champions Abahani at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Kings lead the table with 37 points, having dropped a single point in 13 matches while Abahani trail them by four points, having lost two of their matches so far.

Kings’ only blemish was a goalless draw away to the bottom-placed Team BJMC, but that was eight matches ago and the newcomers have won all seven of their matches convincingly since that draw. Abahani, on the other hand, have had a five-match winning streak in the league. However, unlike Kings, Abahani are fighting on two fronts, with AFC Cup very much dominating their agenda. Despite playing with an injury-hit squad, the Sky Blues beat Chennaiyin FC at home on Wednesday, and that victory should boost their morale ahead of the do-or-die fixture against the Kings today.

A win today would bring them back right into the title race while a defeat would see Kings take a seven-point lead at the top.

Kings’ Spanish coach Oscar Bruzon feels the importance of the match. “This match is very important for us as a win will virtually take us towards the title. So we are determined to win this match and extend our lead,” Bruzon said ahead of the crucial match.