Home ›› 08 Jul 2022 ›› Sport
Defending champions Bashundhara Kings are now on the brink of winning their third straight Bangladesh Premier League football title after beating Chattogram Abahani 1-0 at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla on Thursday.
Kings will clinch the title if they manage to win any of their last three fixtures against Saif Sporting Club, Abahani Ltd, and Sheikh Jamal DC.
On the other hand, Chattogram Abahani were handed their fourth consecutive defeat.
Kings lead the table with 48 points, while Ctg Abahani are at seventh with 26 points.
In Thursday’s game, Kings got off the blocks quickly as they maintained possession for long periods and created several chances in the first 45. It was evident from Ctg Abahani’s approach that their main goal was to avoid defeat and come away with a clean sheet after three straight losses. The first half remained even, courtesy of Ctg Abahani goalkeeper Saiful Islam, who made vital saves to keep his team in the contest.
In the second, Ctg Abahani seemed to change their focus and started with more positive football. But their adventure was cut short as they conceded within ten minutes of the restart.
Against the run of play, Kings’ Gambian striker Nuha Marong scored his second goal of the season in the 54th minute.
Midfielder Miguel Damascena needled a precise through ball, spearing Abahani’s defence, and Nuha provided a fitting finish as he nestled the ball into the bottom corner.
Ctg Abahani came back strongly, but their attacks solely revolved around Nigerian winger Candy Augustine, who brought out his trick bag. Augustine wriggled away from two defenders and managed to put a cross in, but it was cleared away by King’s right-back Rimon Hossain, who thwarted midfielder Arifur Rahman’s hopes of a tap-in to level the score.
Kings bagged all three points and are on the cusp of winning yet another BPL trophy. They will play against Saif on July 18 in the 20th round of matches.
