Dhaka powerhouse Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Ltd lock horns with Kolkata giants East Bengal in the high voltage first semi-final of the 118th IFA Shield at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan at 3:10 BST today. Jalsha Movies will transmit the match live.
Virtually it will be a duel of two Bengals and the Dhaka outfit is billed to face strict opposition as East Bengal will be determined to uphold its flag as Jamal earlier ousted another Kolkata crowd puller in Mohun Bagan. Jamal has to face fierce rivalry on and off the field as official Abdul Gaffar, a former Bangladesh international said the players had to wait for 45 minutes in the venue to get their practice slot. “We were scheduled to start our practice from 2:30 pmat the Yuba Bharati Kriangan but we saw United are possessing the field. We immediately contacted the venue official but we started our practice about 45 minutes later,” said Gaffar.
Gaffar said the regular goalkeeper is doubtful with an injury otherwise the team is in good spirits and has been boosted with the promised incentive of a bonus of USD10,000 if they win. There is another award waiting as the team management has also declared an incentive of USD25,000 if they win the tournament. It is worth mentioning Dhaka Mohammedan is the Bangladeshi lone team to play in the final of the 4th oldest football tournament of the world. The Dhaka giants tied 1-1 against East Bengal in the stipulated time but lost 3-1 in the shootout to finish runners-up.
Sheikh Jamal so far has been a revelation in the meet, adjusting to the conditions. They have played eye-catching football and going by the form of Haitian international forward Sony Norde, the Dhaka outfit will try to repeat the performance of the last group match against Mohun Bagan. With Norde’s compatriot Wedson and Nigerian Emeka Darlington completing the three pronged attack, skipper Mamunul Islam’s defence splitting crosses and through passes will be the key to Jamal’s success.
However East Bengal has their arsenal boosted up with Sudanese forward James Saeed Moga, who played in Dhaka for Muktijoddha in 2010-11 Bangladesh Premier League. There are a number of players who has played beside Moga while he donned the Muktijoddha jersey. Edeh Chidi, a Nigerian attacker can also create problems for the Jamal defenders. Baljit Singh, the Indian national forward, is also a reliable name in the East Bengal offence.