Sk Jamal, Abahani reach semis

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club topped Group A of the Grameenphone Super Cup with a lack lustre goalless draw against Dhaka Abahani at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Wednesday.

Abahani striker Awudu Ibrahim (L) is under hard marking from Sheikh Jamal
defender Ariful Islam during their Super Cup

The draw saw Sheikh Jamal at the top of the group with four points while Dhaka Abahani finished runners-up with two points. The new powerhouse thrashed Brothers Union 6-1 earlier. Dhaka Abahani played another goalless draw with Brothers Union in their previous match. It meant that Abahani secured a last four slot without scoring a goal.

Sheikh Jamal who was confirmed of a semifinal slot even if they had lost the match were little worried about winning rather concentrated on not conceding a goal. Abahani on the other hand started with an attacking attitude which gradually faded away.

Abahani’s best chance came in the 16th minute of the match when Ghanaian forward Twum Frank pouncing on an Awudu Ibrahim through pass found Jamal custodian Aminul alone under the bar palmed away the Ibrahim’s placing.

Twum Frank missed the flight of an Awudu cross in the 26th minute which was curved form the right hand flag much to the relief of Aminul who was stranded in the near post.

Jamal came close in the 35th minute but winger Shakil fed by Staefan Loga Bouga with a nice chip blasted over the crosspiece from the middle of the box.

Abahani midfielder Uzzal lashed on a clearance off a Robin corner on the 60th minute but saw his volley miss the crosspiece by few inches.

As the match proceeded it became a drab affair as both the teams took a relaxed approach till the final whistle.

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Abahani split points with MSC

Abahani Limited played to a goalless draw with Mohammedan Sporting Club in a match of the GrameenPhone Bangladesh League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the city Friday, reports UNB.

With the day's draw, Abahani raised their total to 41 points from 21 matches to remain in fourth position while Mohammedan SC finished their league campaign in sixth position with 30 points from 22 matches. Abahani Limited still has one match in hand against Brothers Union to complete their league engagements.

In the day's match, Abahani's Ghanaian recruit Awudu Ibrahim wasted a golden chance in the 23rd minute as his diagonal cross from the right of the box whistle past the side post, while Mohammedan's Nigerian forward Sunday Chizoba hit the outside net with a close range shot in the 71st minute.

Talking to the newsmen after the match, Abahani coach Amalesh Sen said they missed a couple of scoring chances despite dominating the entire proceedings.

He admitted that there was lack of motivation among the booters in the day's match.

Mohammedan coach Shafiqul Islam Manik said that he was happy with the overall performance of his team in the league. Asked to evaluate the performance of his foreign players in the day's match, Manik said that he was disappointed with their play, especially of Nigerian forward Sunday Chiboza.

Asked about his expectation from the upcoming Super Cup, he said: "It's like any other tournament and anything can happen." Abahani Limited - Zia, Samad Youssif, Siraji, Mamun (Nazrul), Linkon, Pranotosh (Sohag), Uzzal, Frank, Ibrahim, Ronny and Robin (Abul). Mohammedan SC: Al Hasan, Mamun, Liton, Amani, Arafat, Sharif (Sohel Rana), Anwar, Ronny, Shariful (Topu), Sunday and Baybeck.

In another match, Russian forward Eduard Sakhnevich slammed a hat-trick as Sheikh Russel KC trounced relegated Chittagong Abahani Limited by 5-0 goals at the Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium at Kamalapur in the city. With this result, Sheikh Russell KC remained in the third position with 44 points while bottom-ranked Chittagong Abahani remained at five points, both playing 22 matches.

In the day's match, Eduard made the hat-trick scoring fours goals in the 6th, 11th, 65th and 85th minutes while Yusuf netted the other goal for the winners.

In the day's other match, host Soccer Club, Feni came from behind to beat Farashganj SC by 2-1 goals at the Bhasha Shaheed Salam Stadium in Feni.

With this win, Soccer Club Feni narrowly avoided relegation securing the 9th place with 21 points from 22 matches. With the day's defeat, Farashganj SC is in 10th position with 19 points from 21 matches and still in danger having one match in hand.

In the day's match, Nigerian recruit Nche Francis and Sohel scored one goal each for Soccer Club Feni in the 68th and 78th minutes respectively while Jewel Rana netted the lone goal for Farashganj SC in the 39th minute.

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