Ctg Abahani, Sk Jamal fire blank in Mymensingh

After three thrilling rounds in the port city of Chittagong, the professional football league shifted to the Rafiq Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh for the first time in history and the galleries filled up with more spectators than the original capacity. Only two major football tournaments were held in the city of Mymensingh before. The Nitol-Tata Football Tournament was held there in 2004 while the Sher-e-Bangla Gold Cup took place in 1991. Rising powerhouse Chittagong Abahani moved to the top of the table with yesterday’s draw with eight points from four matches while the title-holders Sheikh Jamal remained at fourth with six points. It was Sheikh Jamal who began the game brightly, creating the first chance with just two minutes into the clock when Haitian midfielder Landing Darboe ran through the right flank before cutting a nice cross at the middle of the box. But two Sheikh Jamal forwards Enamul Haque and Emeka Darlington missed the line of the ball. The match saw two quick attacks in the 21st and 22nd minutes. A cutback by Landing was blocked by the diving Chittagong Abahani goalkeeper Ashraful Islam Rana before Rakib Sarker got the rebound and placed the ball forward. Rana however, made a quick recovery to kick the ball away to safety. On the counter attack, Chittagong Abahani forward Rubel Miah, with his quick footwork made his way through the Sheikh Jamal defence and even went past goalie Maksudur Rahman Mostak, but his angular placing shot was cleared from the goalline by defender Yeasin Khan. In the 69th minute, substitute Sheikh Jamal forward Wedson Anselme curved a free kick from just outside the box but Chittagong Abahani custodian Rana again pulled out a diving save. In the 79th minute, Landing made his way through the Abahani defence carrying a through pass of Wedson but much to the frustration of the Gambian and Sheikh Jamal, the ball rebounded off the side post. Emeka Darlington let his team down in the 86th minute when he failed to tap a Wedson cutback from handshaking distance.