Abahani too hot for Azad

Title contenders Abahani extended their winning run to three matches in the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League after inflicting a massive 10-1 defeat on Azad SC at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.

With three successive wins, the Sky Blues sit on top of the table with nine points while Azad SC are on the bottom of the 11-team table with three defeats in a row.

Despite missing their Indian players due to the ongoing Kolkata Hockey League, the Sky Blues, playing with only local players, proved too tough to handle for Azad Sporting Club.

The Club Cup runners-up Abahani came into the match on the back of hard-fought 2-1 win over Usha KC but they toyed with Azad SC by taking a 5-0 lead in the first half before adding five more goals after the break.

Forwards Pushkor Khisa Mimo, Rakibul Hasan and Rumman Sarkar struck a brace each while Farhad Ahmed Shitul, Naim Uddin, Ashraful Islam and Md Abdullah netted one goal apiece in the one-sided affair in which Bishal scored a consolation goal for Azad SC.

"Azad are a good side but we have recovered well from our shortcomings since the completion of the Club Cup tournament, especially after the Indian analyst joined us," said Abahani coach Hedayetullah Razib, who was seemingly a bit worried by the poor conversion of penalty corners.

"Though everything is improving, the rate of penalty corner conversion is not satisfactory. Ashraful Islam is struggling a bit but we are working on it to fix the problem," said the former national player.

Out of the 10 goals, Abahani scored two goals from penalty corners with a conversion rate of 33 percent. Ashraful, Shitul scored one apiece from penalty corners. 

In the day's other match, Usha edged Ajax SC 4-2 to return winning ways following a defeat against Abahani in their previous match.