Ctg Abahani keep the pressure

Chittagong Abahani kept the pressure on league leaders Abahani with a 1-0 victory over Arambagh Krira Sangha in their JB Bangladesh Premier League fixture at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj yesterday. Nigerian defender Alison Udoka scored the winning goal for the port city side with a towering header in the 29th minute as Chittagong Abahani took their tally to 37 points from 18 matches, with four matches still remaining.

League leaders Abahani are two points ahead having played 17 matches so far.

The port city side dominated possession, attacking from the beginning and took the lead when Udoka rose high to head in Mamunul Islam's in-swinging corner, giving Arambagh goalkeeper Mitul Hasan no chance to stop it.

Minutes later, Chittagong Abahani came close to doubling the lead when Chencho Gyeltshen provided a powerful cross inside the box for Tarik Al Janabi, but the Algerian midfielder failed to make a good connection with the ball.

Arambagh, a youthful side currently sitting in seventh position with 21 points, should have found the equaliser on the stroke of half time when Sajib Hossain was teed up with a minus inside the box after a counterattack which initiated from the right side found him inside the box. However, the young striker stabbed the ball hopelessly wide of target.

The second half followed the same pattern, with Chittagong Abahani enjoying the lion's share of possession, but thanks to wasted opportunities from their strikers they ended the game with the slimmest margin of victories.