Zahid fires Ctg Abahani

Zahid Hossain scored twice as Chittagong Abahani moved to the top of the JB Bangladesh Premier League with a 3-1 win against Muktijoddha Sangsad KC at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The veteran winger opened the scoring in the second minute of the game and restored the port city side's lead right before the hour mark after Ahmed Kolo Musa had equalised for Muktijoddha. Lionel Saint Preux then put the icing on the cake with a third goal deep into stoppage time as the big-spenders returned to the top with 21 points from 10 matches.

The Independence Cup champions may however be toppled if surprise package of the season, Rahmatganj MFS, can continue their amazing run by beating Brothers Union today.

Coming into the match on the back of a three-match winning streak, Chittagong Abahani wasted little time in taking the lead as Zahid's speculative shot which took a wicked deflection off a Muktijoddha defender and ended at the back of the net, leaving Muktijoddha goalkeeper Mamun Khan wrong-footed.

The Chittagong side came close to doubling their lead on 24 minutes, but Mohammad Ibrahim's attempt brushed the top of the crossbar.

Muktijoddha, who started the second half on the right foot, found the equaliser six minutes after restart when Musa tucked in the rebound after skipper Saidul Haque's looping attempt came off the crossbar. However, Zahid restored the lead eight minutes later, this time tucking in Mamunul Islam's low cross past Mamun Khan.

Chittagong Abahani comfortably held on to the lead, and after Preux wasted a gilt-edged opportunity by deliberating too much on the ball with acres of space inside the box in the final minute of regulation time, the Haitian scored the third deep into stoppage time, rounding the opposition keeper before driving the ball into the net past a host of defenders.

SUNDAY BRACE DRIVES ABAHANI

Inspired by the big win of their Chittagong namesake, Dhaka Abahani snapped their two-match winless streak with an identical margin of victory over relegation-battlers Uttar Baridhara in the second match of the day. Sunday Chizoba scored a brace in the first half while Andrew Lee Tuck added a third after the break as the four-time champions moved into the second position, just one behind Chittagong Abahani.

Sunday, who started the match on six goals, opened the scoring on the quarter hour mark with a powerful strike from inside the box before getting his second by smashing in a rebound on 37 minutes.

After Sunday missed a glorious opportunity to take himself to the top of the goalscorers' chart, Lee Tuck provided Abahani a third goal through a neat finish on 71 minutes.

Faisal Ahmed Shitol pulled one back for the bottom-placed side on the stroke of time, which proved to be too little too late.