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League race wide open

Mohammedan spoil Usha's party

Sports Reporter
Mohammedan Sporting Club did a great favour to their archrivals Abahani when the black and whites snapped Usha Krira Chakra's 11-match winning streak in the Green Delta Insurance Premier Hockey League yesterday.
Syed Al Masum, who sat for the HSC examinations in the morning, slotted a hattrick in the afternoon as Mohammedan defeated Usha 3-2 in the crucial Super 5 match at the Maulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium.
Even before the match started, the Usha fans - clad in green T-shirts - were partying with a noisy band blowing music at the stands,
in hope for a win that would have sealed their championship.
However, it were Mohammedan who were celebrating in the end as the team officials immediately handed over a handsome bonus for their first big-match victory of the season.
Mohammedan have already crashed out of the title race but Usha's maiden loss after 11 straight wins threw Abahani a lifeline as the latter need to beat Mohammedan and Usha in their remaining matches to clinch the title.
If Abahani can defeat Mohammedan tomorrow, the title will be decided in Friday's league finale when defending-joint champions Abahani and Usha face off.
Usha, eyeing their third consecutive league trophy, have 33 points with just one match in hand while
Abahani are trailing by five points with Mohammedan following on 26.
Usha showed no signs of the confidence they had shown throughout the league and the side who crushed Mohammedan 5-3 and Abahani 4-2 in the first-leg, exposed tired legs of a strenuous campaign.
Mohammedan, who omitted captain Ariful Haque Prince even from the starting line-up, started brightly with Pakistani forward Mohammed Sabbir running through the rival defence now and again.
The Pakistani Olympic star's hard work paid dividends after 16 minutes when he ran past two opposition players before squaring the ball to Masum, whose reverse-
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hit from the top of the box gave Usha keeper Shakil no chance.
At the other end, goaltender Kiran made an important save when he stopped Usha's Pakistani midfielder Tarik Aziz's push from a close range before Irfan made a goalline save.
Sabbir had another great run but failed to beat the onrushing Shakil while Usha spoiled a great chance to equalise when Rajan fired the ball just over the bar before the break.
With Pakistani playmaker Akhter Ali having a day-off, Usha never dominated the midfield and the situation worsened as they committed a series of miss-passes near the 25-yardzone.
Masum squandered a chance early in the second half while Usha striker Habul's pass toward an unmarked Kamal was intercepted by Kiran before the old-Dhaka outfit levelled the score
in the 57 th minute.
Rajan set up the chance with a rising pass from the left and veteran Kamal, who will retire from domestic hockey next Friday, flicked the ball into the far comer.
Usha, a man down after Sohel was given a temporary marching order, lost possession to Sabbir in the middle two minutes later and Abdus Sajjad John's darting and powerful long pass from the left flank was flicked in by Masum as Mohammedan restored lead.
Masum was celebrating his hattrick after a 64-minute penalty comer but the goal was disallowed before Shakil made a twin save, denying efforts by Rana Mohammed and Sabbir.
Masum finally sealed the victory in the 68th minute with his third goal, this time tapping the ball into an empty net after Asim's angular pass from the left beat the rival goalie.
Kamal set Habu) to reduce the arrears a minute later but it was too late for Usha, who even failed to win a single penal ty comer througho ut the 70 minutes due to inspired defending by Mohammedan duo Issa Mia and Imran.