Mohammedan stay unbeaten, Abahani taste first loss

Title contenders Mohammedan Sporting Club climbed to the top of the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League with an emphatic 7-2 victory over Bangladesh Sporting Club, after leaders Abahani fell to second place after losing 2-1 to holders Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club in the final match of the first leg at Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Even though Mohammedan brushed aside Bangladesh SC to remain the only unbeaten team, courtesy of a hattrick from Din Islam Emon, all eyes were on the day's second match where Mariners once again emerged superior after having defeated Abahani 3-0 in the Club Cup final a month earlier.

During the match, it was evident that Mariners were aware of what is at stake, in terms of staying in the title race. Abahani, on the other hand, seemed to be lacking urgency and energy, as four of their Indian recruits chased shadows throughout the game, perhaps struggling to overcome the scorching heat from the artificial turf.

Mariners asserted their authority early, with Moinul Islam Koushik opening the mark after receiving a forward pass from Indian midfielder Deepak in the 16th minute before Sohanur Rahman Sabuj converted their first penalty corner four minutes later to double the lead.

Despite being two goals behind, Abahani could not come up with solutions to avoid their first league defeat. However, rookie forward Rakibul Hasan squandered two good chances and the equaliser came through Pushkor Khisha Mimo in the 50th minute after he executed a wonderful flip following Indian Shreshe Gowad's hit.

After 10 rounds of matches, Mohammedan tallied 26 points from 10 matches, one more than Abahani and Usha Krira Chakra, while Mariners occupy fourth spot with 22 points despite their seventh victory.

Bangladesh Police Sporting Club and Ajax Sporting Club, with 19 and 18 points, respectively, have also qualified for the Super Six battle, which begins on Friday. Meanwhile, Dilkusha Sporting Club were relegated from the 11-team league after having registered a solitary point.

Mohammedan forward Rasel Mahmud Jimmy is pleased to be at the top of the standings. "Our goal was to win every match by doing well in the first leg," Jimmy stated, adding that despite having one point advantage over others, the Super Six will be a challenging contest.

Abahani coach Hedayetul Islam Razib hopes his charges will come back strongly in the Super Six to win the title. "We were also surprised by the performance of our boys. We never imagined they would perform so poorly today. Even it appeared to us that the players are too fatigued to move," he stated.

Meanwhile, Mariners coach Mamun Ur Rashid said his team could execute the game plan effectively against strong Abahani, adding that it will be "extremely difficult" for them to clinch the title from here on. "There is still a mathematical chance, and we will do our absolute best," he said.