Brothers Union cruised into the semifinals of the Grameenphone Super Cup after a goalless draw against Dhaka Mohammedan in the rain soaked final group B match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium Wednesday.
Mohammedan, the traditional black and white outfit team, had ensured their last four berth with two wins earlier and yesterday’s draw saw them emerge as group champions with seven points. Brothers earned five points to finish runners-up. The draw also completed the semi-final line up, with Mohammedan taking on Muktijoddha and Sheikh Russell facing Brothers Union on June 21 and 22 respectively.
The outfield was heavy due to continuous rainfall and not conducive to smooth football. The match, which started 30 minutes late because rain had washed away the sidelines, was a sluggish affair with the players finding it difficult to control the ball and dealing with the unexpected skid from the ground.
Brothers almost took advantage of the slippery conditions when forward Jewel Ran took control of a long ball that dropped dead in the water at the top of the box, but his shot skied over bar with Mohammedan goalie Titumir rushing out and misjudging the take.
Mohammedan were careful to keep their defence solid and in the 24th minute, were rewarded for the strategy when Jewel Rana broke free at the middle of the box and unleashed a fierce left footer only to be blocked by the sliding effort of defender Yasin.
Absorbing the pressure, Mohammedan hit back with a series of attacks. In the 31st minute, defender Anisur Alam Sweet danced down the left flank and cut the ball back to Md. Robin, whose cracker was fisted to safety by diving Brothers goalie Sujon Chowdhury.
Mohammedan winger Shariful Islam came close to netting the first goal in added time of the first half, but after seeing of Brothers midfielder Komol Islam, his curving shot just kissed the crosspiece.
The second half was rather dull affair with both the teams concentrating more on not conceding goals than scoring and at the end, both were happy with the result.
Match Highlights
5’ Brothers forward Jewel Rana scoops the ball over the Mohammedan crosspiece, catching goalie Titumir Chowdhury off guard
24’ Jewel Rana’s fierce left footer is blocked by Mohammedan defender Yasin at the middle of the box
31’ Mohammedan defender Anisur Alam Sweet’s cuts back to forward Robin, who unleashes grounder that forces Brothers goalie Sujon Chowdhury to pull out a fine diving save
45+ Brothers midfielder Komol Islam loses possession but Mohammedan winger Shariful Islam’s curving effort kisses the crosspiece
