Saif Sporting go third

Newcomers Saif Sporting Club extended their winning run in the Bangladesh Premier League with a 2-0 win over Muktijoddha Sangsad as the country's top league resumed at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday after a two-day break due to 'unplayable ground condition'.

Colombian striker Hember Valencia Olaya broke the deadlock with his maiden strike in Bangladesh before Matin Mia wrapped up the victory to help Saif SC climb to third position with nine points from four matches. The newcomers are three points behind leaders Chittagong Abahani and one point adrift of Sheikh Jamal DC.

Muktijoddha Sangsad, who suffered this defeat following successive wins, stayed at six points, slipping to seventh position.

After the match both coaches blasted the ground's condition, which was filled up with sand making it difficult for players to display their natural performance.

“It was very very tough for the players to play on such a ground. The ball was bobbling and it was very very heavy and that made the players get fatigued. You can't play quality football on such a surface,” said Saif SC's Ghanaian-born English coach Kim Grant.

However, he praised his charges for showing patience and cashing in on the opportunities they created in the match. 

“It was a good win for us because we totally dominated the game. It was about being patient because we wasted a chance of scoring in the first minute. Olaya took his chance well and then we got the second one after controlling the game,” said Grant.

Saif SC's Hemanta Vincent Biswas put the ball into the net in the fifth minute, but his effort was ruled out as he was adjudged to have handled the ball. In the dying moments of the first half, the former Bangladesh midfielder wasted another chance by sending the ball wide off target before Jewel Rana rattled the crossbar from the right flank.

Saif SC finally broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, with Olaya driving on a cut-back from Jewel Rana while Matin played a one-two with Olaya to beat Muktijoddha goalkeeper Uttam Barua with a curling attempt in the 73rd minute.

Muktijoddha Sangsad coach Masud Parvez Kaiser accepted the defeat but was not happy with the ground condition.

“It is not possible to display natural football on such a pitch, which has been filed with sand and that troubled the players throughout the game. I don't know why they put sand on mud because it is not the last match of the league,” said Kaiser.

Meanwhile, Arambagh KS collected their first points of the campaign with a 2-1 victory over Brothers Union in the other match of the day.

Arambagh found the opener when Brothers defender Ashraful Karim put the ball into his own net following a block from goalkeeper Abdul Kader. Alamu Bukola doubled the lead four minutes later while Siyo Zunapio scored a late consolation goal for Brothers Union in stoppage time of the second half.