AFC Cup: Mohun Bagan’s woes continue, lose 2-5 to Maziya; Bengaluru FC stunned by Abahani
MALE: After narrowly missing out on the I- League title recently, Mohun Bagan now find themselves on the verge of elimination in the AFC Cup following a shock 2-5 defeat against Maziya Sports and Recreation Club of Maldives here on Wednesday.
The crowd at Male’s National Stadium were treated to a spectacle in the Group E match as Maziya raced opened up early lead through goals from Yasfaadh Habeeb (13th minute) and Mohamed Umair (27th minute).
When Alexsander Rakic (45th) added a third from a narrow angle just before the half-time, the game appeared over as a contest.
Straight after the restart, Mohun Bagan, who needed a win to stay afloat in the tournament, pulled a goal back through Kingshuk Debnath (48th minute).
However, they quickly fell further behind as Abdulla Asadhulla struck from the penalty spot before Rakic (60th) added a second. Jeje Lalpekhlua added a consolation from the spot in the 78th minute, but could not prevent Maziya earning a win which puts them in a commanding position to claim a top two spot in Group E.
Mohun Bagan, who missed out on I-league title by a whisker to Aizawl FC, now have just three points from four matches. They have two games in hand -against Bengaluru FC at home on May 17 and against Abahani Limited in Dhaka on May 31.
Maziya, on the other hand, are on joint top with Benagluru FC with nine points from four matches. In the other match, Bengaluru FC suffered their first defeat of the 2017 AFC Cup, losing 2-0 to Dhaka Abahani in a Group E game at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka, . Late goals from substitute Saad Uddin (87) and Rubel Miya (90+2) helped Dhaka to their first win, while hurting Bengaluru’s chances of making the playoffs. Bengaluru’s two remaining games include a trip to Bagan and a home game against Maziya, whom they beat in Maldives in the latter’s only defeat in the group stages so far. Having rested key players over the weekend, Roca handed starts to Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Sunil Chhetri, CK Vineeth, Cameron Watson and John Johnson in a 3-5-2 formation that saw Harmanjot Khabra and Nishu Kumar deployed as wing-backs. Ben galuru’s best chance of the first half came when Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s corner was met by Chhetri, but the headed effort was easy pickings for the Abahani keeper. BRIDGETOWN: Misbah-ulhaq missed a Test century by one run for the second consecutive match but Azhar Ali completed three figures as Pakistan took a first innings lead of 81, totalling 393 in reply to the West Indies’ 312 on the third day of the second Test, here.
Mohammad Abbas then removed Kieran Powell to a catch at the wicket in the 14 overs the home side faced in their second innings before the close of play. They will resume on the fourth morning at 40 for one, still needing 41 more runs to erase the first innings deficit with opener Kraigg Brathwaite and Shimron Hetmyer at the wicket.
Deprived of the landmark when stranded on 99 not out in the first innings of the first Test in Jamaica, the Pakistan captain appeared destined to accomplish the feat on this occasion, only to be dismissed in a bizarre manner, triggering a mini collapse in which three wickets fell for 13 runs just before tea.
Having survived an optimistic appeal for LBW against his West Indian counterpart Jason Holder the ball before, Misbah attempted to pull out of the way of the next delivery which lifted sharply and came off the glove for Shai Hope to gleefully hold the catch at second slip.
His typically phlegmatic, unflustered innings lasted almost five hours in which he faced 201 balls, striking two sixes and nine fours. It was also the first time he was dismissed in the series after two unbeaten innings in Kingston.
His surprise demise broke a brisk 57-run partnership with Asad Shafiq after earlier adding 98 with Ali, the opening batsman reaching a painstaking 13th Test century in mid- afternoon before he was caught at the wicket off Devindra Bishoo for 105, the leg-spinner’s third success of the innings. Ali’s marathon effort occupied seven-and-a-half hours during which he faced 278 deliveries, stroking just nine boundaries in an innings characterised by considerable discipline and patience. Buoyed by Misbah’s departure, West Indies enjoyed further success just before tea when wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed became fast bowler Shannon Gabriel’s second wicket, edging an attempted drive to Powell at first slip. Off the very last ball of the afternoon session, Shafiq was ruled leg-before to the miserly Holder.