The match between two most popular clubs of Dhaka football - Abahani Limited and Mohammedan Sporting Club Limited - in the Bangladesh Premier League was abandoned due to incessant rain at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day at the same venue, Saif Sporting Club clinched a comprehensive 3-0 win against Lt. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Limited to keep their title hope alive.
Dhaka saw heavy downpour in the afternoon and the amount of rain was so heavy that the field became completely unsuitable for staging a football match.
“The field became unsuitable for rain so we abandoned the game. The ball was floating over the water,” said match commissioner Azad Rahman to journalists.
Although the heydays of Abahani-Mohammedan encounter has long gone as the latter have lost their stature in local football through continuous slump, the match is important in the point of view of the league table.
Newcomer Bashundhara Kings edged Arambagh Krira Sangha 3-2 in a Bangladesh Premier League thriller at Sheikh Kamal Stadium in Nilphamari Sunday.https://t.co/yisiXAfw0n#FOOTBALL #BFF #BANGLADESH #BANGLADESHFOOTBALL #BPL #BASHUNDHARA #KINGS #BASHUNDHARAKINGS #ARAMBAGH #ARAMBAGHKS
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) February 24, 2019
Abahani, the defending champion have 18 points from eight matches and are one point shy of Bashundhara Kings who have played seven games so far.
On the other hand, Mohammedan are in dire straits as they have just five points from seven matches and are 10th position in the 13-team league with just two points more than bottom side Brothers Union.
In the other match of the day, both the teams started with positive intent and in the seventh minute Sheikh Jamal’s Colombian recruit Deiner Córdoba’s header off a Jamal Bhuiyan free-kick rebounded off the post.
During the 19th minute Sheikh Jamal’s Argentine forward Luciano Araya’s header went wide off the post and Cordoba once again missed an opportunity in the 25th minute when he failed to keep his shot on target.
But local striker Jafar Iqbal broke the deadlock as he executed a perfect placing shot in the 40th minute off a Jamal pass.
Saif Sporting became more active in the second half and Cordoba at last got success as he headed an immaculate cross to make the score 2-0 in the 58th minute.
Jafar provided the assist this time round.