Farashganj SC 0-1 Chittagong Abahani

Farashganj ended their inaugural professional football league campaign yesterday with a solitary goal defeat to the visiting Chittagong Abahani at a rain-soaked Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Centre-back Narayan headed home a freekick in the 83rd minute to give Abahani their fourth win - second against Farashganj in as many matches - in 19 games.

The riversiders, who had lost their away game in Chittagong 2-0, finished their 20 matches on 22 points. With a 5-7-8 record, Farashganj ensured eighth place in the 11-team B. League.

The port city sky-blues, meanwhile, climbed to ninth place with a match in hand, increasing their tally to 15, two points above Rahmatganj and three ahead of bottom-table Khulna Abahani.

Chittagong Abahani will conclude their mission on July 29 when they host Dhaka giants Brothers Union in the first match of the final week.

Rahamatganj Hold Farashganj

Rahamatganj MFS finally managed to move from the base of the B. League table when they held fellow old-Dhaka outfit Farashganj 1-1 in yesterday's match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Striker Robin, who retained his place in the national team, put Farashganj ahead after three minutes inside from the box.

Midfielder Mohammed Ali cut ball back to Robin who unleashed a powerful drive from the left side of the box for his eighth goal in the competition.

However, his teammate Mamun Khan, chosen as the third goalkeeper of the latest national squad, ruined his maiden national call when he committed a gaffe to concede the equaliser by Rasel Ansary in the 20th minute.

The young Farashganj keeper, standing far out of his line, was caught napping when Rasel chipped a high ball from the right and Mamun's in a last-gasp effort only managed to push the ball into his own post.

Both sides' effort to increase the margin bore no fruit as Rahamatganj took their collection to 13 points after 18 games, just one point above Abahanis from Khulna and Chittagong.

Rahamatganj, however, will be fined Tk 10,000 as six of their players were booked by referee Azad Rahman who cautioned three Farashganj players.

The riversiders who drew the first leg match against Rahamatganj 0-0, reached 22 points with just one match to go, against Chittagong Abahani.

Mohammedan SC Dhaka 2-1 Farashganj SC

The championship race of the inaugural professional football league eventually came down to the two city rivals when Mohammedan recorded a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against Farashganj yesterday.

Arup Baidya gave Farashganj an early lead but Nigerian striker Emeka's tenth goal in the run brought back the black and whites before Zahid Hossain slammed a second half winner.

With ten wins in 17 games, Mohammedan pushed their collection to 35 points to come level with top-of-the-table Abahani who have a match in hand, against their Khulna namesakes today.

With Muktijoddha and Sheikh Russel rapidly disappearing from the scene, Abahani and Mohammedan seem to be the teams to beat for lifting the title of the B. League, which has three weeks to go.

The riversiders, who conceded a 3-1 defeat to Mohammedan in the first leg, rushed early blood when Arup broke the deadlock after nine minutes.

A darting run by Rony at the left found Robin and the young striker switched the ball to Arup who hammered a left footer into the back of the net before the Mohammedan backline and goalkeeper Himel could react. Arup had also pulled off a stunner against Abahani in the last match at home but from a further distance.

Shafiqul Islam Manik's side threatened to equalise midway through the first half but Emeka's freekick from a difficult angle was punched out for corner by Farashganj keeper Mamun.

The old-Dhaka backline kept things tight under pressure but it was unsettled in the 35th minute when Mohammedan leftback Kamal's long centre picked up forward Paul on the edge of the area.

The Mohammedan skipper turned the ball with a light header to his compatriot Emeka who pushed home from close to make it 1-1.

It was Paul who again set up Mohammedan's match winner in the 65th minute when the stout Nigerian controlled the ball well to dodge two rival backs inside the area and released a square-pass to right for a speeding Zahid who slotted the ball beyond Mamun. It was Zahid's second goal after scoring the first one in the opening round of the tournament.

Emeka was in thick of things but the second highest scorer of the competition fluffed an easy chance when he fired wide in the 74th minute after latching on to a superb through by Sharif.

Mohammedan, however, escaped narrowly three minutes from time when rival substitute Kutub's first touch on the ball set Puma in a good position but the Nigerian's shot on the cross was saved by shot-stopper Himel scrappily.

Emeka counter-attacked in the very next minute but failed to seal a bigger victory when he screwed his twin-shot. After his first effort was partially stopped by Mamun, the yellow-haired Mohammedan forward put the rebound wide of the open goal.

Farashganj, who suffered their seventh loss in 18 outings, remained on 21 points.

Emily Does It Again

Two-goal Zahid Hasan Emily inspired Abahani to their second consecutive come-from-behind win in a five-goal thriller yesterday and retain pole position in the B. League.

The inform striker, who returned among goals with a hattrick against Rahamatganj two weeks earlier, made a couple of clinical finishes as Abahani came from 2-1 down to edge Farashganj 3-2 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Emily also scored the equaliser in Abahani's last match, which they won 2-1 also coming from behind.

Robin and Arup found the net for the riversiders while Emily opened the scoring early and also struck the second-half match winner for Abahani after centre-back Nazrul had cancelled Farashganj's lead from a penalty to make it 2-2 at the break.

Under overcast conditions, the sky-blues who climbed to 32 points after their ninth victory, took just four minutes to go ahead when Emily dodged past rival defender Mamun Mia with a diagonal ball from leftback Wali and placed an angled shot in off the base of the far post.

Rain intervened seconds later and Abahani, playing in their away strip of yellow, were caught napping as Robin broke an offside trap to equalise in the eighth minute.

The young forward, who picked up a long ball at the left side, went round an onrushing goalkeeper Biplab on the edge of the area and coolly placed the ball into the back of the net through two Abahani defenders who tried in vain to stop Robin's seventh league goal.

Five minutes later, skipper Joy's half-hearted clearance during a freekick landed straight to Arup and the Farashganj midfielder, who was 30 yards out of goal, hammered a sublime right footer into the top right corner of Biplab.

Farashganj, who lost their first leg match 3-1, took control with strings of lively passes but the domination fizzled out after a five-minute stint of heavy shower midway through the first half.

With the skies clearing, Amalesh Sen's league leaders mounted heavy pressure in search of an equaliser but Joy nodded the ball just wide and Emily's header was saved by Khaled from the line.

Ibrahim finally threw a lifeline to Abahani when the Ghanaian forward won a penalty in the 37th minute following a clumsy challenged by Nigerian centre-back Amadou.

Nazrul made no mistake to send goalkeeper Mamun Khan the wrong way and send a powerful strike into the left corner for his second league goal.

Abahani took little time to regain lead as Emily showed signs of returning to his best during his ninth goal in the run with an intelligent run in the 49th minute.

As opposition custodian Mamun and captain Faisal waited for each other to intercept a through pass by Abul inside the box, the Abahani No. 10 noticed the chance, raced from behind to take the ball away from both before cutting the ball back into the net from a tight angle.

For the next 20 minutes, Abahani laid relentless assaults on the rival goal but failed to increase the margin on a water-soaked heavy pitch. Ibrahim screwed his chance over the bar from seven yards and forced a fine save by the keeper while Parvez and Joy both shot into the side netting.

The Dhaka giants, however, ran out of gas in the last quarter and Mohammed Ali almost brought the riversiders level from the top of the box only to be denied by Biplab's reflex.

Tipu came close to score in the dying minutes but the Abahani sub saw his low drive from an acute angle miss the far post for inches.

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.

Farashganj SC 1-0 Arambagh KC

Farashganj took revenge of their first leg loss to Arambagh when the riversiders recorded a solitary goal victory in yesterday's B. League match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The league resumed after a four-day break due to seasonal rain and Farashganj, who suffered a 2-0 defeat in their earlier meeting, settled for a scoreless first half.

Mohammed Robin separated the two sides with a 79th minute strike - the young striker's sixth league goal - to also help Farashganj topple Arambagh in the table with their fourth overall win in 13 games.

Arambagh, who have also played 13 matches, stuck to 16 points and slipped to eighth place following their third consecutive defeat in the second leg and overall seventh loss.

Brothers' Comeback Hopes Dashed

Four bottom-half teams in the B. League shared points on the second day of the second leg as both matches in Dhaka and Khulna ended in identical 1-1 draws yesterday.

Brothers Union's bid to return to the title race suffered another blow when they failed to beat Farashganj for the second time in the competition after a goalless draw in the first leg.

Nigerian striker Elijah Junior converted a 13-minute penalty after to give the Oranges lead after Farashganj centre-back and captain Faisal tripped Shakil inside the area.

Syed Nayeemuddin's side, however, failed to hold on to the early advantage as the riversiders levelled on the stroke of the half hour with debutant African striker Opara Luxson Puma scoring with a placing shot after a combined attack. Puma came close to score against seconds before half time but Nizam made a fine save at the Brothers goal.

Brothers had to remain satisfied with 16 points from 11 outings as a spectacular header by Junior, the second highest scorer with eight goals, was denied by substitute goalie Azam in the last minute.

Farashganj, third from bottom, now have 11 points after as many rounds.

In a battle of Abahanis at the Khulna Stadium, the home side failed to take revenge of their first-leg loss in the Chittagong trip.

Tajul put Khulna Abahani ahead after 33 minutes but Liberian forward Dolly Abraham's 41-minute strike secured Chittagong Abahani's only draw in the league so far. The visitors had won 2-0 when they clashed in the port city.

On 11 points, Khulna Abahani edged Farashganj by virtue of a better goal difference while Chittagong Abahani remained just above the base of the table with ten points.

Chittagong Abahani 2-0 Farashganj SC

Chittagong Abahani ended the first leg of the B.League second from bottom but reduced the gap with teams above with a 2-0 home win against Farashganj yesterday.

The port city sky-blues scored either side of the break to frustrate the Dhaka riversiders, which stuck to ten points after ten games, just one point ahead of Chittagong Abahani.

Liberian striker Abraham Bobby struck in the 43rd minute to give the hosts a 1-0 lead while midfielder Khokon Das's third league goal came four minutes after resumption to seal the victory.

It was Chittagong Abahani's third win in the run and second at home while Farashganj's fourth defeat.

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.

Abahani Secure Top Position

Abahani Ltd Dhaka secured their position at the top of the B. League table 2007, after beating Farashganj 3-1 today. Zahid Hasan Ameli opened the scoring after 19 minutes and Abahani held this lead through to the end of the first half.

Nine minutes into the second half, Ghanaian Awudu Ibrahim doubled the lead for Abahani. Ameli then got his second of the match, and Abahani's third, after scoring at 71 minutes.

Farashganj rallied and finally scored a consolation goal in injury time, through Md Robin.

Arambagh's Second Win

Second half goals by striking pair Nico Dimas and Mujibur Rahman Ritu inspired Arambagh to their second successive win in the B. League when they blanked Dhaka rivals Farashganj 2-0 yesterday.

Arambagh, who recorded their first victory in the previous round against touring Chittagong Abahani with a brace from Kenyan debutant Dimas, had to wait for exactly an hour to go ahead at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Dimas showed exquisite control with the ball when he picked up a long pass from Ugandan midfielder Dominic and dodged past two rival defenders before breaking the deadlock with a low drive inside from the box for his third league goal after.

Ritu sealed the victory 16 minutes later when the substitute finished a counter attack with a tremendous grounder just inside from the area.

Arambagh maintained third place with seven points from four games while Farashganj, who have played a game less, remained on four points at the end of the fourth week.

The league resumes on Friday with title aspirants Abahani, one of the two undefeated sides, taking on bottom-table Rahmatganj in the capital.