Bangladesh Premier League champions Sheikh Russell KC kicked off their AFC Presidents Cup Group A campaign with a goalless draw against KRL Football Club of Pakistan at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday.
Coach Dragan Dukanovic opted for a 4-4-2 combination as Russell started in an attacking mode before gradually losing control in the midfield which created opportunities for their opponents to enter and invade their territory. The Russell forwards failed to pile any pressure on the KRL defense and in return the Bangladeshi side was lucky not to concede goals twice.
In the 5th minute Rizwan Asif’s header rocked the Russell crosspiece while in the 20th minute KRL midfielder Daud saw his effort bounce back from the side post. Hasan al Mamun received the only yellow card for Russell after a hard tackle on Daud.
In the second-half Sobuj Kumar Biswas replaced Mithun Chowdhury to boost Russell’s attacking group. The change almost paid dividend as Sobuj came close to opening the score in the 72nd. Despite beating the KRL goalkeeper Sobuj’s powerful grounder flew past the side post by a whisker to deny him the celebration. Russell’s pressure in the dying minutes saw them get four corners but they could not capitalise in the aerial zone as the match remained goal less.
State minister for youth and sports Biren Sikder, on a government visit to Sri Lanka, watched the match and exchanged greetings at the end of the match.
Dragan Dukanovic vowed that his charges will put up a better show in the coming matches. He said, “We did not play good football in the first-half but in the second-half the tempo was better. One point is not bad and we will play better football in the next two matches.”
Meanwhile, the KRL head coach Tarik Lutfi reflected on the two first-half chances and said, “We would have won the match by two goals if luck favoured us. Now we will have to look forward to play better in the upcoming matches.”
