Sheikh Jamal end MSC’s run
The Bangladesh Premier League reached the halfway mark with Sheikh Jamal handing a 2-0 defeat to Mohammedan at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
A seventh triumph from 12 outings saw three-time league champions Sheikh Jamal topple six-time champions Abahani to climb into second place with 26 points, eight behind leaders Bashundhara Kings and one ahead of Abahani. Mohammedan remained glued to sixth in the 13-team table with 19 points.
The Black and Whites started the match energetically and exerted tremendous pressure on Sheikh Jamal from the onset. Abiola Nurat came close to providing Mohammedan with a third-minute lead with a powerful shot, only for it to be tipped over by Sheikh Jamal goalkeeper Samiul Islam.
Seven minutes later, Malian forward Souleymane Diabate mustered a powerful left-footed shot from inside the box that floated inches over the Sheikh Jamal goal.
However, Mohammedan conceded against the run of play when Pa Omar Jobe ran down the left and cut back for Jonov Otabek, who hammered a powerful drive from the top of the box past goalkeeper Ahsan Habib Bipu in the 25th minute.
Mohammedan's attitude did not waver after resumption and they pressed hard for an equaliser, with Amir Hakim Bappy squandering a chance to level the margin after heading a nice cross wide of the near post in the 54th minute.
Jobe again turned provider for the second goal, running down the left flank and releasing a nice ball for Solomon King, who made no mistake in firing home from inside the box in the 83rd minute.
A couple of minutes later, Jobe found himself on the end of a nice cross from Solomon but the Gambian forward could not connect, squandering an opportunity to topple Bashundhara Kings forward Robson Da Silva, who is tied at the top-goalscorer charts with Jobe on 12 goals each but Shafiqul Islam Manik's charges did not allow Mohammedan to extend their six-match unbeaten run.
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