Big spending Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club kicked off their Walton Federation Cup campaign with a rusty 2-0 win over new BPL entrants Uttar Baridhara at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
The star studded outfit wasted scoring chances all through the match and to make the scenario worse, midfielder Sohel Rana was sent-off for a vicious foul on his counterpart Kosoko Olasukanmi.
Overall, it was a Sony Norde show as the highest paid player on the soccer scene scored a brace within a span of three minutes. However it was also interesting to see that the high profile Haitian went into hibernation in the remaining minutes of the match.
Sony Norde put Sheikh Jamal ahead in the 23rd minute from a penalty. Uttar Baridhara defender Mohammadullah Dalim fouled Sony Norde in the middle of box and the referee duly awarded a penalty. Sony converted it.
Three minutes later, Sony doubled the margin with a solo effort. Taking a through pass from midfielder Sohel Rana, Sony made an angular run through the defence and placed the ball into the far post.
Uttar Baridhara’s occasional burst into the opposition arena almost paid off in the 55th minute and in added time, right winger Sumon’s fierce drive was saved by a diving Jamal goalie Zia and on the second occasion, Zia stopped Sujon Biswas’s grounder. Sumon blasted the rebounder over the crosspiece.
Jamal was denied by the crosspiece in the 81st minute when Nigerian defender Alli Abdullahi’s head on a cross from Sony Norde kissed the crosspiece. Josef Afusi, the Nigerian coach of Jamal was fuming. “I’m not happy with the performance today but we got three points and that’s all that counts,“he said.
