Home ›› 20 Jul 2022 ›› Sport
The title bid had already come to an end for Abahani Ltd, but that didn’t stop them from putting on a refined display on Tuesday as they thrashed Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club 5-0 at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla.
Abahani asserted their runners-up position on the table with a 10-point cushion as they sit second with 44 points.
On Tuesday’s game, Abahani got off the blocks quickly and got their wingers flying from both ends of the field, with midfielder Raphael Augusto pulling strings in midfield.
Their positive start paid dividends soon as midfielder Emon Babu broke the deadlock in the fifth minute. The midfielder produced a thumping left-footed strike from 18 yards to beat the keeper.
The Sky Blues doubled their lead in the 39th minute. This time it was their Brazilian striker Dorielton netting his 14th goal of the season with a smart header. Skipper Daniel Colindres once again produced a sumptuous corner for Dorielton to guide home.
Mario Lemos’ men went 3-0 up at half-time, courtesy of Colindres’ left-footed strike. Sheikh Jamal would have to blame their keeper Mohammad Nayeem, who played an undercooked pass, that was intercepted by Augusto and the midfielder rolled it towards Colindres, who slotted it home.
Sheikh Jamal’s lone warrior in the game was winger Otabek Valizhonov, who had as many as five attempts on goal but like his teammates, failed to deliver anything of substance.
Abahani piled on the pressure in the second half, and striker Nabib Newaz Jibon capitalised on their dominance. The 31-year-old completed a brace, scoring the first with a deft right-footed touch in the 77th minute and the second with his head in the 82nd to complete a five-star display.
