B. League 2006-07 Ends

The curtain fell on the country's inaugural professional football league yesterday with both matches resulting in identical 1-1 draws in Dhaka and Chittagong.

The results, however, made no impact on the points table of the 11-team B. League.

Playing with ten men for the last 15 minutes, runners-up Mohammedan trimmed the gap with league champions Abahani to seven points after Mohammed Rony cancelled the opener by Arambagh forward Nicodemus in the Dhaka derby.

Sheikh Russel made the trip to the port city with a hope to win and overtake Muktijoddha for a third- place finish.

But the visitors had to remain satisfied with one point, thanks to Bulbul's second-half equaliser in the 59th minute after Chittagong Mohammedan, who clinched seventh place after a very impressive season, had taken the lead through Dipu in the very first minute of their home match at the MA Aziz Stadium.

Mohammedan, whose title hopes were heavily dashed after last round's 1-1 draw away at Khulna Abahani, hardly looked like the team to win without their inspirational captain Paul.

The Nigerian, whose 14 goals including a double-hattrick brought a mediocre side this far in the competition, was injured and his three fellow countrymen failed to dominate against a tight Arambagh defence.

Despite an unplayable pitch at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, muddy and sluggish, Arambagh enjoyed superior ball possession and Kenyan striker Nicodemus sent a superb chip from the left after 21 minutes for Morshed, only to see the ball run harmlessly across the black and whites goal.

Sharif and Walid twice volleyed over the Arambagh goal while Zuku's powerful drive from 20 yards skimmed the Mohammedan upright before Nicodemus separated the two sides in the 32nd minute with a sublime shot.

The Kenyan picked up a loose ball near the centre circle and raced down the right flank before hammering an angled right-footer into the roof of the net from outside the area for his eighth goal, giving Mohammedan goalie Himel no chance.

Midfielder Sharif then spoiled a chance to equalise as his drop-volley on a rebound went over while Iddi Badambuze's close range effort was saved by Himel shortly before the break.

The second half began under drizzle, which made the strip faster and Walid, who replaced Paul as main striker, placed a first-time shot wide under pressure from Arambagh fullback Monu in the 53rd minute.

Nicodemus wasted a golden chance to double the lead as he smothered Himel from 18 yards in the very next minute. Mohammedan, who beat Arambagh 1-0 in their league opener in March, pressed hard and 12-goal Emeka's spectacular sidevolley on a right-side cross missed the mark for inches in the 70th minute.

The equaliser, however, came from a defensive lapse a couple of minutes later. Mithu sent a through into the Arambagh box but the ball stopped in the mud, giving Rony the time to go round the stunned substitute keeper Mitul and neatly place a low shot past the last defender.

Mohammedan's Nigerian midfielder Divine was then sent off for his second bookable offence - a clumsy challenge on Zuku - in the 77th minute and the ten-man Mohammedan survived a close call ten minutes from time when Iddi's curling freekick from 40 yards hit the crossbar.

Mohammedan coach Shafiqul Islam Manik admitted that finishing runners-up with a rather ordinary side made him happy.

"The last match, there was no motivation but throughout the league, my young players played brilliant. I am eventually satisfied," said Manik.

"I would not blame the draw against Khulna Abahani for missing out the title. Actually, we failed to start well in the second leg," added the coach, whose side were leading the table after first leg but drew the first three games.

After five straight wins, Mohammedan ended the race with two draws which saw them unbeaten in 16 matches since successive defeats to Muktijoddha and Abahani.

Having failed to sign any big local names, the local giants had to rely on the Nigerian quartet whose performance virtually kept them alive.

Arambagh Record Big Win

Arambagh KC registered an emphatic 4-2 victory over Chittagong Mohammedan in the B.League encounter at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

With the outcome Arambagh not only avenged their 0-2 first-leg defeat against the port city side but also moved up to the sixth position in the table securing 26 points from 19 matches. Chittagong Mohammedan remained at 25 points from same number of outings.

The first-half was locked at 1-1 as Asif Yusuf put Mohammedan ahead in the 17th minute by capitalising on a Dipu cross from the left-flank and Ugandan Iddi Badambuze, aided by Domenic, levelled the margin for Arambagh with a fierce shot from the left side.

After the breather Nicodemus Gichana Anunda struck twice to ensure Arambagh's win as the Kenyan striker scored in the 51st minute with a left-footed angular shot from the left side of the D-box after dodging past opponent goalie Tito and then netted the fourth goal for his side in the 65th minute with a close range left footer.

Iddi however increased the Arambagh tally scoring his second goal with a spectacular flying header off a Domenic cross while Mohammad Asif narrowed the gap for Chittagong Mohammedan from penalty in the 67th minute.

Chittagong Mohammedan 3-0 Khulna Abahani

Chittagong Mohammedan crushed visiting Khulna Abahani 3-0 in yesterday's B. League at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong.

The port city side, who registered their seventh win in 18 games, took absolute control after Asif Yusuf opened the scoring after four minutes with his fourth league goal while foreign recruit Anthony Doe doubled the lead ten minutes later.

Rashed Ahmed Dipu sealed the victory for the hosts in the 68th minute to maintain their hundred per cent record over Khulna Abahani, who had lost 1-0 at home in the first leg. It was the striker's fourth goal in the competition.

The Khulna outfit remained at the base of the table with 12 points after 18 rounds while Chittagong Mohammedan toppled Brothers, Arambagh and Farashganj to climb to fifth place with 25 points.

Abahani and Chittagong Mohammedan Avenge Defeats

It was a day of revenge for touring sides as the B. League completed its 18th week yesterday.

Title contenders Abahani crushed their Khulna namesakes 5-1 away at Khulna Stadium to wipe out memories of a stunning 2-1 loss in Dhaka in the first leg.

In Dhaka, visiting Chittagong Mohammedan upset struggling giants Brothers Union 2-1 to settle scores of a 1-0 home loss in late April.

Abahani consolidated their position atop the table after their 11th win in 17 matches, opening up a three-point lead over archrivals Mohammedan.

The day began for the Dhaka sky-blues brightly. Unlike their first-leg clash, when they had stormed the Khulna Abahani goal but wasted a series of chances in the first half hour before eventually losing, Amalesh Sen's league leaders went ahead after three minutes with Ghanaian forward Awudu Ibrahim scoring in the third minute.

After a rather quiet first half, the game came alive after the break with four goals inside 20 minutes. Ibrahim got his second of the match - his fifth in the league - ten minutes after resumption but Khulna Abahani reduced the arrears a minute later through midfielder Tajul Islam.

But the visiting side took absolute control with goals by winger Abdullah Parvez and forward Tipu, in the 61 and 75 minutes, putting the result beyond doubt.

Emily sealed the victory one minute from time with his eighth strike in four games, the inform Abahani No. 10 taking his tally to ten goals.

Khulna Abahani remained bottom of the table along with Rahmatganj and fellow Abahani from Chittagong, all three on 12 points.

Chittagong Mohammedan, meanwhile, brightened their chances of a top-half finish when they came from a goal down to beat Brothers at the Bangabandhu National Stadium with goals from substitutes Rashedul Alam Dipu and Kamrul Islam Pavel.

Brothers dominated the first period but Mamun's shot midway through the first half was saved by goalkeeper Raju, who was substituted due to injury. Jalaluddin fluffed an easy chance on the stroke of halftime when he sideheaded a Masud Rana cross over the bar.

The visitors threatened with Yusuf's darting run on the half hour but when his effort was partially cleared by rival shotstopper Mohammed Ali, Zahid failed to properly shoot the rebound.

It took the Oranges two minutes after the break to go ahead with Jalaluddin setting a cross from the left. Nigerian striker Junior controlled the ball well before skirting opposition defender Sohel to slot a neat left footer past substitute goalie Titu to reestablish his position as top scorer with 15 goals.

A couple of defensive errors, however, cost Brothers their sixth defeat.

Dipu, who came in on for Towhid, equalised in the 69th minute when he collected the ball and went past Ali to push the ball into an open goal after Jewel Rana and the Brothers keeper hesitated on a long ball.

Asif Yusuf then sliced the rival defence with a through for Pavel, who replaced Shah Alam, to race past Jewel and slam the match winner with an angled drive three minutes before the final whistle.

Junior came close to level scores in time added on but his powerful freekick from 30 yards was kept out by Titu for a corner.

Chittagong Mohammedan increased their collection to 22 points, just one behind Brothers after both have played 17 games.

Another Blow for Reds

Muktijoddha joined Sheikh Russel as B. League's joint leaders but gave away the chance to take solo lead when they were held by Farashganj to a goalless draw yesterday.

The Reds came level with Russel on 27 points after 15 outings but both the sides are in danger of being overtaken by Abahani or Mohammedan pretty soon.

Abahani, who play the last match of the ongoing 16th week today, need to beat their namesakes from Chittagong to move to the top alone as they have 26 points from 13 games.

Mohammedan, resting this week, are also on 26 points but have played one match more than their arch rivals Abahani.

Like Farashganj, their old-Dhaka neighbours Rahamatganj also drew yesterday's match when they shared points with Chittagong Mohammedan away in the port city.

Asif Yusuf opened the scoring for the hosts after 66 minutes at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong but Rahamatganj's Nigerian striker Felix made it 1-1 ten minutes later with his third goal in five matches.

Both Farashganj and Chittagong Mohammedan finished the round with 18 points while bottom-table Rahamatganj raised their collection to nine.

Meanwhile, Muktijoddha once again paid for lack of discipline at the Bangabandhu National Stadium to slump to their second successive draw.

Held by Chittagong Mohammedan 1-1 in the previous round, Abu Yusuf's boys enjoyed superior possession but failed to get beyond an otherwise tight Farashganj defence led by Faisal.

After a quiet first half hour, Muktijoddha won a freekick just outside the penalty box but Matiur Munna failed to keep his shot from the setpiece under the bar.

Shortly before the break, the riversiders got a golden chance when Kutub's through ball split the Muktijoddha backline but Nigerian forward Luxon Puma drove the ball wide inside from the area.

Desperate to gain momentum in the title race, Muktijoddha pressed hard early in the second half but Kanchan, who retained his place in the starting line-up in absence of veteran Alfaz, nodded a cross by Moroccan midfielder Brahim onto the crossbar in the 51st minute.

Titu then let fly a scorching left-footer from 30 yards but the national fullback's effort skimmed the post.

Coach Yusuf made all three changes but it were Farashganj who came close to snatch a win in the last ten minutes.

Robin, who had scored both goals in their 2-2 first-leg draw against Muktijoddha, set Puma with a brilliant pass from the dead-ball line in the 80th minute. However, unmarked Puma's low drive went for a corner off a deflection.

Titumir's legwork then saved Muktijoddha's blushes seconds into the injury time as the goalkeeper cleared Rony's close-range effort on one-on-one.

A corner by substitute Enamul in the rest of the stoppage time raised hopes of full three points for Muktijoddha but Kanchan nodded the ball over in what was the last real chance of the game.

Muktijoddha Take Sweet Revenge

Muktijoddha took revenge of their away defeat to Chittagong Mohammedan in the B. League when the Dhaka giants recorded a 2-1 win over the visitors in the opening match of the second leg at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Veteran Alfaz Ahmed opened the account after 12 minutes while Parvez Babu doubled the lead midway through the first half as the Reds took lead in the table with 21 points. It could well be temporary as a win will put either Mohammedan or Sheikh Russel on the top of the table by the end of the ongoing 12th round.

The Chittagong side, who had upset Muktijoddha 1-0 in the first leg, pulled one goal back through Asif Yousuf's 58th minute penalty and stuck to 17 points.

Abu Yusuf left a number of veterans in the bench and got immediate reward for fielding a younger team as young Enamul Hossain's lively display created early openings for Muktijoddha.

Hassan Al Mamun and skipper Moni both served the bench while Arman even failed to find a place in the first 18 for the Reds, who lost stand-in captain Ghansah just 20 minutes after kick-off.

The Ghanaian centre-back limped off the ground shortly after Alfaz latched on a right-side cross by Titu to score his fifth league goal. However, it was Enamul who was in the heart of the counter attack, picking up the ball from deep before feeding overlapping rightback Titu.

Muktijoddha, however, could have gone ahead in the fourth minute when Matiur Munna's 30-yard powerful drive beat Mohammedan goalie Tito but came off the base of the sidebar.

Tito once again showed his weakness in low balls when the keeper conceded the second goal at his near post when leftback Parvez drilled the ball through a forest of legs after Enamul's effort was cleared by the rival defenders out of their area.

The black and whites from Chittagong hardly looked like the outfit that impressed everyone in the first leg but showed signs of a comeback when Asif's freekick from the right curled away from the far post on the stroke of the breather

Enamul should have scored 12 minutes after resumption but the young striker miskicked the ball from ten yards after hard work by Titu.

In the very next minute, the tourists got a lifeline when their Liberian striker Momolu earned a penalty when he was tripped inside the box by substitute defender Deen Mohammed.

Asif coolly fired the ball into the top right corner from the spot, giving goalkeeper Titumir no chance to react.

Asif left the ground three minutes later and his replacement Pavel wasted a chance in the 73rd minute, failing to keep his shot under the crossbar. The pressure continued and Muktijoddha, running out of steam, survived again a couple of minutes later when Sohel's header on a corner went just wide.

Yusuf pushed fresh legs and Kanchan set a chance for Titu who failed to test the opposition custodian near from the penalty spot, submitting a feeble shot straight to Tito.

In injury time, both sides invaded the rival boxes but Momolu lost possession and an exhausted Alfaz, kept on the pitch as the coach ran out of options having made all three changes, took a pathetic effort that flew miles over the bar.

Dhaka Giants Register Wins

Nigerian Paul Mwachhukwu struck twice as Mohammedan Sporting Club came from one goal down to secure a 3-1 victory against Farashganj Sporting Club in a B. League match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

But their Chittagong namesake suffered a 1-0 defeat against another Dhaka giant, Brothers Union, at the MA Aziz Stadium in their home game.

Mehdi Hasan Tapu netted the all-important goal for the traditional all orange in the 55th minute. The victory took the Brothers tally to 12 points in eight matches while Chittagong Mohammedan remained on eleven points from same number of outings.

On the other hand the day's success improved Dhaka Mohammedan tally to14 points and Farashganj stayed on nine points from eight outings.

In Dhaka, spirited Farashganj drew the early blood when Mohammad Robin capitalised a one-to-one move with Mohammad Ali in the 19th minute with a stunning right-footer from the middle of the box.

The same duo was close in the 39th minute to double the margin but Mohammedan Nigerian custodian Paul James saved Ali's shot with a brilliant diving effort.

After five minutes Farashganj however conceded a penalty when Riyad Mohammad brought down opponents striker Ariful Kabir Forhad in the danger zone and leading goal-scorer Paul Mwachhukwu made no mistake to convert the spot-kick to level the score. Paul then produced a left-footed side volley in the 56th minute on a throw-in from his compatriot Peter Odafe. It was his tenth goal in the tournament.

Forhad sealed the margin for the winners in the 80th minute by a left-footed angular shot from top of the D-box utilizing a Mithu through pass.

Farashganj 3-0 Chittagong Mohammedan

Farashganj defeated Chittagong Mohammedan by 3 goals to nil, at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The first half ended goalless but Farashganj pushed and were eventually rewarded after Md Ali scored, at 57 minutes. Md Ali then struck again, to effectively kill the game off, with 15 minutes remaining. Md Robin then completed the rout, scoring at 86 minutes.

However, Chittagong Mohammedan are still ahead of Farashganj, despite the defeat, having taken 11 points from 7 matches. Farashganj have 9 points from the same number of matches.