MSC throw away 3-goal advantage
Mohammedan Sporting Club threw away a three-goal lead in a 3-3 draw against Brothers Union at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday, fluffing a chance to string together a three-match winning streak in the Bangladesh Premier League.
The Black and Whites took a comfortable 3-0 lead in the first half and looked on course for a third consecutive victory but Brothers, without regular coach Syed Nayeemuddin, put up a spirited performance in the second half to score three goals.
The draw took the All Oranges, who beat Mohammedan 1-0 in their first meeting of the league, to nine points from 14 matches, equal with 11th-positioned NoFeL SC while Mohammedan stayed in 10th position of the 13-team table with 13 points from 15 matches.
Country’s two traditional outfits -- Mohammedan and Brothers – were in danger of being relegated from the top-flight for the first time but the club officials are seemingly confident of avoiding the drop with a few matches in hand.
“It is very frustrating to draw the match despite taking a 3-0 lead. I thought the players stopped after half-time and sloppy defending let us down in the second half,” Mohammedan coach Sean Lane said. “I don’t think we are in a position to be relegated because we still have nine matches in hand. If you saw the last three matches, the boys really played confidently. Everything will be all right if the boys do things for 90 minutes like they did in the first 45 minutes against Brothers Union.”
Brothers Union’s long-serving manager Amer Khan was, however, not as confident as Lane, but the former national footballer still thinks there is a long way to go.
“Every team is good and everyone is searching for points but I think we need a bit of luck as we could not get results in the first leg despite playing good football. It is also important to take valuable points against big teams like Mohammedan because we are targetting points against teams like BJMC, NoFeL SC, Rahmatganj MFS, Arambagh etc. The positive thing is we still have 10 matches in hand,” said Khan.
Mohammedan took a 3-0 lead through a brace from Yousuf Sifat after Toklish Ahmed gave them the lead, but Brothers Union’s substitute Mahammad Mokarram scored a goal between Mannaf Rabbi’s brace to help them earn a valuable point.
Saif share spoils with Arambagh
Hosts Saif SC came from behind to play out a 1-1 draw against Arambagh KS at the Rafique Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh. Saif had lost 1-0 to the same opposition in the first round of the league.
Colombian defender Deiner Cordoba cancelled out a 47th-minute strike from Cameroonian striker Paul Emile to help Saif SC maintain their fourth position in the points table with 30 points from 15 matches. Aramagh are in fifth position with 20 points from 15 matches.
Sheikh Jamal win after eight matches
Solomon King Kanform converted two spot-kicks to help Sheikh Jamal notch an emphatic 4-0 win over Rahmatganj MFS following an eight-match winless streak at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday, despite being dominated by the Old Dhaka outfit.
With their fourth win in 15 matches, Sheikh Jamal toppled Muktijoddha Sangsad to grab the seventh position with 20 points while Rahmatganj stayed in ninth position with 15 points from 15 outings.
Rahmatganj, who held Sheikh Jamal to a 2-2 draw in the first leg, created a lot of chances but their finishing was poor to finish while Sheikh Jamal rode on two penalties given away by Rahmatganj unnecessarily. Ali Hossain was fouled on both occasions and Solomon converted those in the 73rd and 82nd minutes before Emile Sambou and substitute Shakhawat Hossain Rony scored a goal apiece in the 88th minute and in the stoppage time respectively.
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