Saif made to work for win against Brothers

Saif Sporting Club posted their tenth win in the Bangladesh Premier League with a 2-0 victory against visiting Brothers Union at the Rafique Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh yesterday.

Saif, who played a 1-1 draw to Arambagh in their previous match, had to sweat it out against a struggling Brothers before Brazilian Alessandro Celin gave them the lead in the 50th minute with a glancing header off a cross from Uzbek forward Otabek Zokirov. Celin wrapped up the victory tapping in a rebound from inside the six-yard box after Brothers goalkeeper only half-blocked a close-range shot from substitute Sajjad Hossain in the stoppage time of the second half.

At Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj, visitors NoFeL SC earned a valuable point by holding hosts Muktijoddha Sangsad to a 1-1 draw.

NoFeL broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark when Ashraful Islam headed home a cross from Jamiruddin and the visitors went to the break with the one-goal lead. However, Muktijoddha Sangsad equalised in the 64th minute when Guinean Yamoussa Camara drove home from inside the box after a corner kick came to him with a deflection.

The outcomes did not change the standings as Saif remain fourth with 33 points from 15 matches, 16 points ahead of eighth-placed Muktijoddha Sangsad.

NoFeL raised their tally to 10 points from 15 matches to stay just above of the relegation zone, with Brothers on nine points from 15 outings.