Title contenders Muktijoddha Sangsad returned to winning ways but star-studded Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club stumbled in the Bangladesh League at different venues yesterday.
A rejuvenated Muktijoddha Sangsad were lucky to hand a single-goal defeat to Arambabgh KS, thanks to a fortunate strike from captain-cum-defender Rajani Kanta Barman at the Birshreshtha Mostafa Kamal Stadium. Away at the Cox’s Bazar Stadium, coach-less Sheikh Jamal were held to a 1-1 draw against Chittagong Abahani, who collected their first point after two successive defeats.
The second victory in three games means Muktijoddha stay in second position with six, three points clear of joint leaders Mohammedan and Sheikh Russel KC.
Two draws and one victory took Sheikh Jamal to third while holders Abahani and Rahmatganj are jointly fourth in the 12-team points table.
Muktijoddha Sangsad, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Sheikh Jamal in their previous match, put on a comparatively better show to dominate a formidable Arambagh in the first half and grabbed a decisive goal in the 32nd minute capitalizing on a howler from goalkeeper Mostafizur Rahman.
Mostafizur looked to grip a free-kick from Argentinean defender Luciano Ariel Theiler well but the ball slipped from his grasp and an opportunist Rajani, who had come up for the set piece, tapped the ball home to give Muktijoddha Sangsad an unexpected lead.
After the resumption, Arambagh offered a good challenge and both sides fought neck and neck till the last whistle of the game and Muktijoddha Sangsad’s goalkeeper Biplob Bhattacharjee rescued his side foiling a good number of attacks from Arambagh, who had earlier run Brothers Union strong to hold them to a goalless draw.
The freedom fighters’ side also came close to doubling the lead a few times but the efforts from Mithun Chowhdhury, Alamu Bukola and Zahed Chowdhury went in vain. The lack of goals had Muktijoddha worried as Arambagh stepped up the attack for the equaliser but they failed to split the backline of Muktijoddha.
Away in Cox’s Bazar, Sheikh Jamal went ahead with a 17th-minute strike from Serbian defender Dragon Perisic only to see their lead canceled by Dhiman Ghosh five minutes into the second half.
Sheikh Jamal football manager Anwarul Karim Helal admitted that the team has been suffering from not having a recognized coach after the departure
of Serbian coach Zoran Kraljevic.
Sheikh Jamal without a coach played out a goalless draw against holders Abahani and then beat Muktijoddha Sangsad 2-0 before playing to a 1-1 draw against Chittagong Abahani.
Helal also blamed the poor refereeing for their draw and also claimed that the ground is smaller than the standard football pitch.
