Mohammedan edge Mariners, keep pace with Abahani

Mohammedan Sporting Club reduced the gap with leaders Abahani after notching up a hard-fought 3-2 win over defending champions Mariner Youngs Club in a protracted Green Delta Premier Division Hockey League fixture in Dhaka on Monday.

With seventh triumphs in nine matches, Mohammedan leapfrogged to the second position with 23 points, two less than Abahani, while holders Mariners fell behind the race to stay at the fourth position of the 11-team table, with 19 points from nine matches.

Ahead of the crucial tie at Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium, both teams were aware of the consequence of dropped points. Thus, it was no surprise to see the two title contenders fight neck and neck throughout the 60-minute match. However, it eventually took nearly two-and-a-half hours to complete due to frequent protests by both sides over decisions made by foreign umpires and TV reviews.

From the onset, Mohammedan appeared hungrier, creating a couple of good scoring chances, and the first breakthrough arrived in the 11th minute as Din Islam Emon changed the direction of a fierce hit from Malaysian Faisal Bin Sarri.

The Black and Whites continued their dominance in the second quarter but could not hold the momentum. Sarri narrowly missed to connect a Rasel Mahmud Jimmy cut-back to waste a chance in the 20th minute before Fazle Hossain Rabby brought Mariners into the match with a fierce hit, availing a cut-back from Moinul Islam Koushik after the defending champions threatened through the right flank.   

Boosted by the equaliser, Mariners then took the lead in the 39th minute after a quick resumption of play following a free hit around Mohammedan's box, as Abed Uddin ran diagonally into the box before unleashing a powerful shot past keeper Nuruzzaman. Mohammedan sought a review, but the TV umpire upheld the on-field umpire's decision.

As the match kept swinging like a pendulum, Mohammedan bounced back to level the margin in the 42nd minute as Jimmy worked hard inside the box to feed Sarri, who made no mistake to tap it home. 

And 12 minutes later, Amirul Islam struck the winner from a rebound following a penalty corner to send Mohammedan fans into raptures.