Yellow cards prove costly for Sk Russel
Former champions Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra were eliminated from the race for the last eight of the TVS Federation Cup due to conceding more yellow cards after the last matchday of Group D produced a stalemate on points and goal-difference among the former champions with Mohammedan SC and Muktijoddha Sangsad KC.
Mohammedan beat Uttar Baridhara 1-0 before Sheikh Russel drew their last match against Muktijoddha Sangsad 1-1 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday, with the results seeing the three competing teams ending with five points each and with a goal-difference of +1.
However, Muktijoddha Sangsad, who had scored four goals, topped the group according to the tournament by-laws, but Mohammedan and Sheikh Russel, both having scored two goals and conceding one goal each, were still inseparable.
So the bookings were counted where Mohammedan (3 yellow cards) edged Sheikh Russel (4 yellow cards) due to conceding less yellow cards to book a place in the quarterfinals as runners-up from the group.
It was a sorry end to the curtain-raising tournament for Sheikh Russel, who had taken the lead against Muktijoddha Sangsad on 13 minutes when Azizov Alisher headed home Mohammad Abdullah’s corner-kick.
Raphael Odoyin had a chance to extend Sheikh Russel’s lead in the 32nd minute, but his shot was brilliantly saved by Muktijoddha goalkeeper Mahfuz Hasan Pritom.
All three teams finished on five points, with Uttar Baridhara, the fourth team of the group, finishing without a single point following the two matches.
The Blues were made to pay for their profligacy, with Muktijoddha forward Ismail Bangoura scoring the equaliser five minutes after restart with a placing shot on a chip from Norito Hashiguchi.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Sheikh Russel’s two bookings proving vital in the final reckoning.
“We failed to preserve our lead and then saw two of our players receive yellow card. It was unfortunate for us. Luck was not with us,” Sheikh Russel’s assistant coach Masud Kaiser Parvez lamented at the end of the match.
Muktijoddha coach Abdul Kaiyun Sentu was relieved to see the side through from a difficult four-team group. “We are happy to go into the knockout stages. It is a great relief with the way we qualified,” Sentu said.
The result helped Muktijoddha emerge group champions and they will play against Bashundhara Kings in the fourth quarterfinal while Mohammedan will be up against Chattogram Abahani.
Mohammedan had earlier scraped to a 1-0 win over strugglers Uttar Baridhara Club in the first match of the day, thanks to an eighth-minute strike from Souleymane Diabate, who placed the ball home past Baridhara goalkeeper Azad Hossain after receiving a through-pass from Amir Hakim Bappy.
Mohammedan had a plethora of chances to extend their lead but failed to convert those chances, giving an anxious wait to the players and coaching staff till the end of the second match.
Mohammedan coach Sean Lane was looking at positives at the end of their game. “We have kept ourselves ahead with this victory. It now depends on the result of the last match, but we are hopeful about progressing,” Lane said.
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