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Muktijoddha stay alive

SPORTS REPORTER
Paul Nwak-wuchu converted a penalty and set up
another goal for substitute Kanchan as Muktijoddha Sangsad got away with a 2-0 win over Arambagh Krira Sangha in yesterday's Premier Bank Premier Football League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
Arambagh, who lost by the odd goal in a seven-goal thriller in the first-leg to the same opposition, paid for missing a series of first-half chances including a penalty as the Reds sealed their seventh victory with late goals and kept their slim title hopes alive. After 11 rounds, Muktijoddha remained third in the table with 22 points, five points adrift of leaders Mohammedan and four behind holders Brothers Union.
Seventh-placed Arambagh, just clear of the relegation zone with 11 points, began brightly against George Kottan's boys and took just six minutes to unsettle the rival defence.
It was Arambagh skipper Imrul who sent a superb cross from the right to catch the whole Muktijo-ddha backline napping but Ritu, unmarked at the open far post, saw his drop header sail inches over the crosspiece.
Muktijoddha were without key defender Rajani but Hassan Al Mamun, returning from a four-match suspension for assaulting referee Tayab Hassan, filled in the gap in the three-man central defence nicely.
Still, Arambagh created openings regularly and Titumeer, standing in for the second successive match for injured captain and country's number one custodian Aminul, dived full length to defy two attempts
by Juku from close and long ranges.
Arambagh should have gained lead in the 28th minute when referee Ramkrishna Ghosh, conducting his second game in as many days, awarded them a penalty after Nigerian forward Patrick's powerful shot hit the hand of Muktijoddha midfielder Pappu just inside the box.
However, Imrul frustrated his
teammates when he put the
spotkick wide of the bar despite sending Titumeer the wrong way.
Arambagh kept the pressure on and Imrul's freekick from 25 yards was brilliantly stopped by Titumeer four minutes later.
Muktijoddha came close to breaking the deadlock three minutes before the breather, but Arman's curling freekick from the edge of the area was spectacularly
blocked by a diving Shakil. Although the Arambagh keeper lost the ball, a lurking Paul placed the rebound wide from a handshaking distance.
The second-half belonged to Muktijoddha and Juku made a goalline save in the 54th minute, heading the ball out after Paul blasted a left-footer from a
SEE PAGE 13 COL 1 FROM PAGE 12
goalmouth melee in his second attempt.
With time running out fast, Austrian coach Kottan brought out-of-form national strikers Kanchan and Moni in from the bench to intensify the pressure. The move paid off in the 73rd minute when Arambagh stopper Ramjan handled the ball while trying to stop a cross by Kanchan inside the danger zone.
Paul kept his cool and put the ball into the net from the 12-yard mark for his seventh goal in the league, to become joint top scorer along with Manju and Alfaz of Mohammedan and Brothers' Victor Edwards.
Ten minutes later, Paul raced down the left flank with a through from Kanchan and cut the ball back to the latter who exquisitely fired a leftfooter into the far corner to make it 20. It was Kanchan's fourth goal in the championship.
Yellow cards: Harry (Muktijoddha) and Patrick (Arambagh)
TEAMS
MUKTIJODDHA: Titumeer, Hassan Al Mamun, Riad, Harry, Titu, Saiful, Pappu (Moni), Arman, Belal (Biddyut), Paul and Amin Rana (Kanchan).
ARAMBAGH: Shakil, Ramjan,
Ghansah, Akram, Juku, Imrul, Faisal (Monu), Russel, Ritu, Patrick and Morshed.
Referee: Ramkrishna Ghosh.