Mohammedan

Sporting Club will be needing only a Kto regain the sh Premier

Division football league when they face arch-rivals Abahani Krira

Chakra tn their last matcn on December 17. The title aspirants maintained their two-point lead with a 4-0 thrashing of relegated Bangladesh Boys Club in their penultimate league match last night at the floodlit Mirpur Stadium.

In an one sided affair which saw the black and whites leading the first-half by a solitary goal. Alfaz. Arman. Ranjan and substitute Nigerian forward Makino scored one goal each for the wiruiers.

With yesterdayis win, 14th in the league so far out of 17 matches. Mohammedans earned 45 points which kept them atop the ten -team elite league table, closely followed by Abahani who have 43 points from as many matches. The latter were left with only the option of beating their arch rivals in the final league match if they want to realise their dream of a treble of championships. Abahani are the league champions for the last two seasons.

On the other hand, it was the 13th league defeat for Boys who have already confirmed their relegation to the first division from the next season, having bottomed the table with six points.

With two regular hooters — defender Munna and midfielder Iqbal - missing from the first eleven on a one-match suspension for receiving three

yellow cards. Mohammedans were a bit disorganised in the first session yesterday But. after making two substitutions. Parvez and Makino replacing Mansoor All and Kaiser Hamid respectively in the late first half, and little bit of adjustments in their formation, they gradually took control of the match.

Alfaz. the Sanyo AFC footballer of the month for August 1996. put Mohammedans ahead

in the 41st minute when the dark and dapper marksman placed brilliantly the ball home from a left-side Ranjan cross a st the Boysi keeper Nurul am on his right (1-0)

After the breather. Mohammedans came out with more purposeful play and scored two goals within the first eight minutes of the second half.

It was a corner through which Mohammedans doubled the margin in the 49th minute. Arman, following a one-two with Ruhul Amin, penetrated through the Boys defence and sent an accurate angular shot that kissed the net after grazing the keeperis fingers. (2-0).

Winger Shahidul Alam Ranjan made it 3-0 four minutes later when he responded well to a rebounder that came from Boysi custodian Nurul Islam who tried to punch a powerful Makino grounder diving to his left.

Makino sealed their opponents! fate in the 78th minute when, getting a ball from Alfaz in front of the Boys goal mouth, he tapped in quickly to outwit his marker,(4-0).

Yellow card: Din Mohammad ( B. Boys)

TEAMS

MOHAMMEDAN S.C.: Ponir (Minar) Mansur (Parvez), Ruhul Amin, Jewel Rana. Kaiser Hamid (Makino). Manik. Arman. Alfaz. Jide, Rajan) and Ranjan.

BANGLADESH BOYS CLUB: Nurul Islam. Din Mohammad. Jahangir. Rubel. Barat. Kutub. Jinnah ( Provat), Kabir. Selim ( Mamunl, Shuvro and Tipu.

Referee: SK Badruddin.