Abahani Suffer in Sudden Death

Abahani's dreams to end the season with an international football title shattered yesterday when this year's Bangladesh professional league champions bowed out of Assam's 56th Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Bordoloi Trophy on penalties.

The Dhaka heavyweights paid for numerous missing chances against ten-man ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) of Mumbai, who won 5-4 in sudden death tiebreakers after the 120-minute second semifinal ended goalless at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati. ONGC, who will take on Thailand's Bangkok Port Authority in tomorrow's final at the same venue, were reduced to ten men in the first minute of the second half. But Abahani's firepower was not enough to beat rival goalkeeper Bilifung Narzary, who pulled off a series of saves.

Abahani manager Satyajit Das Rupu told The Daily Star over phone from the biggest city of India's northeast that Abahani fluffed so many chances that they should have won the semifinal by a big margin. "Officially we are unbeaten but we have to go," said the former national midfielder. "Here we have learned one thing that we must learn to fight every minute of a game. There is no chance to relax in modern football. The Indian teams we have played here have better stamina and never give an inch," he said.

Playing under ideal conditions in the floodlit match, local goaltender Narzary denied second half efforts by Emily, Abul and Moni to take the match into extra-time where the sky-blues' national striker Emily hit the bar. Abahani, without injured Ujjal, mounted heavy pressure utilising the extra one-man advantage but the forwards failed to convert close-range chance. In the shootout, Saifur Rahman Moni, Charles Ghansah, Nazrul Islam and Zahid Hassan Emily scored for Abahani while Pranotosh and Pradeep Poddar missed their spotkicks.

Abahani, who finished runners-up in 1992 and returned to the tournament after 15 years, beat Oil India Limited (OIL) 2-0 and drew goalless with last year's champions Assam State Electricity Board to reach the last four.

Abahani: Biplab, Obaidur (Pradeep), Ghansah, Nazrul, Waly, Joy, Pranotosh, Abul, Robin (Zahed Parvez), Moni and Emily.