Abahani snuck past Team BJMC 1-0 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Thursday, moving into a tie with Sheikh Jamal DC at the top of the Bangladesh Premier League in the process.
Abahani midfielder Jamal Hossain struck in the fourth minute of the match and the Sky Blues held on to that slim lead for the rest of a match that could have seen more goals but instead saw a number of squandered chances.
BJMC created the first opportunity early when forward Aminur Rahman Sajib found himself one-on-one with Abahani goalkeeper Shahedul Alam Shohel in the second minute but failed to convert.
They were made to pay for letting the chance slip just two minutes later when keeper Arifuzzaman Himel failed to deal with Jamal’s innocuous shot from outside the box to leave BJMC a goal down on four minutes.
Abahani nearly added to their tally when an Osei Morison back-heel pass put Towhidul Alam through inside the penalty area in the 22nd minute, but the winger fired his shot right at Himel.
BJMC had a near miss just five minutes later, as Sajib’s glancing header went just over the crossbar.
Sajib missed out again in the 36th minute, when he was unable to latch on to Bangoura’s ball across Shohel’s goal.
Each team hit the woodwork after halftime, with a Khan Mohammad Tara free-kick for BJMC striking the post in 76th minute before Abahani’s Morison’s beat the keeper but struck the post from an angle just one minute later.
Abahani coach Ali Akbar suggested that fatigue, as well the team’s last victory against Mohammedan, may have contributed to his side’s sluggish performance.
‘We did not play good as maximum players were not mentally fit after the match against Mohammedan. Maybe they are tired, having played frequent matches,’ said the Iranian.
‘The margin should have been at least 4-0. Morison squandered three chances in one-on-one situations, while Towhidul Alam and Shahedul Alam missed the open net.’
BJMC coach Ali Ashgor Nasir thought his team should have come away with a victory.
‘We should have earned all three points but our strikers squandered a lot of scoring chances,’ said Nasir. He also noted that the match could have been different if Sajib had converted his chance in the second minute.
Abahani now have 13 points from five Premier League matches, which leaves them in a tie for top-spot with Sheikh Jamal DC, while BJMC have six points from five matches, putting them in fifth.
RESULT
Abahani Limited 1
(Jamal 4) v
Team BJMC 0
-With New Age input
