Citycell B League

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Another Bukola treble:

Mohammedan Sporting Club's prolific Nigerian striker Bukola (L) leaves a Khulna Abahani player in his wake during their Citycell B.League match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Bukola struck four goals in his side's 4-0 win against the Khulna lightweights. Photo: STARSports Reporter

Alamu Bukola slammed his second hattrick of the league as Mohammedan Sporting Club brightened their chances of finishing runners-up in the Citycell B. League with an emphatic 4-0 win over Khulna Abahani in their second leg tie at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The Nigerian striker, who struck his first treble against Muktijoddha Sangsad, scored three goals in the first-half and added another after the breather to become top scorer in the league with 16 goals by surpassing Sheikh Russel's Alfaz Ahmed's 15.

Having Abahani already confirmed the title with a match in hand, the only interest left in the league is the runners-up race between Mohammedan and Sheikh Russel and yesterday's result put the popular Black and Whites in an advantageous position.

The winners improved their tally to 41 points from 19 outings, six points ahead of Sheikh Russel, who have two matches in hand.

Mohammedan will need only one point when they visit to Chittagong to play their last match against Chittagong Abahani on February 16 to become runners-up for the second successive season. If they fail to get the point from their last game in the port city and Sheikh Russel win their remaining two games against Rahmatganj and Farashganj, then both sides will have equal points and have to lock horns for a play-off to decide the runners-up.

On the other hand the sixth defeat ensured Khulna Abahani's demotion from the top flight as the Sky Blues from the southern city earned only five points from 19 matches, five points behind 10th-placed struggling Muktijoddha Sangsad.

Back to the day's match, Bukola put Mohammedan ahead only in the eighth minute when he placed an Enamul Haq Sharif pass home inside the danger zone.

Then referee Abdul Hannan Miron awarded Mohammedan a spot kick following Khulna Abahani defender Ranjit Kumar Paul's handling a shot from opponent Hazem Khaled Mahmood.

The lanky Bukola made no mistake to convert the penalty to double the margin in the 24th minute. Just after two minutes, Sharif whipped a well-judged cross from the left to Bukola, who rose maximum to head the cross home, completing his hattrick to join Alfaz on 15 goals each.

Bukola extended the margin by scoring his fourth goal three minutes from time.

It was the league's eighth hattrick after Alfaz, Arambagh's Nicodemus Ananda, Abahani's Zahid Hasan Emily, Rahmatganj's Idris Kasiry, Farahganj's Anamul Haq and Chittagong Mohammedan's Mithun Chowdhury.

TEAMS
MOHAMMEDAN: Himel, Saikat, Munna, Dami, Sharif, Arman, Maruf (Faisal), Hazem (Pappu), Bukola, Komol and Ripon.
KHULNA ABAHANI: Saifullah, Nahid, Kochi, Shahinoor, Ranjit, Ashiqul, Kamruzzaman, Tarikul, Monjurul, Hakim and Milton (Hadiuzzaman).
Referee: Abdul Hannan Miron.