Raphael Onwrebe continued his amazing form in the Bangladesh Premier League as his brace allowed Lt. Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club climb solely at the top of points table. They beat Brothers Union 3-2 in their 18th round match at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka Wednesday.
In the day's other game between the two bottom-placed sides, Farashganj Sporting Club bagged their third win in the premier league after handing Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society a surprising 3-0 defeat in the Old Dhaka derby.
After Chittagong Abahani Limited's shocking loss and Dhaka Abahani Limited's win Tuesday as well as the latest Sheikh Jamal win, the title race is now wide open for three clubs. Sheikh Jamal's one-point lead over the Abahanis would make the rest of the four rounds extremely exciting.Sheikh Jamal continued riding on their in-form African attacking pair - Raphael and Solomon King. Both are placed first and second in the top scorer's list with a combined total of 26 goals, which helped the Dhanmondi outfit secure six wins in their last seven matches.
It took Gambian forward Solomon only five minutes to open the scoring as he headed home through the middle after Jabed Khan's cross from the right flank met him at the top of the six-yard box.
Raphael doubled the lead in the 44th minute with a brilliant finish. Controlling Nurul Absar's cross from the left flank, the Nigerian forward calmly sent the ball past Brothers goalkeeper Sujan Chowdhury to find the back of the net. Congolese forward Siyo Zunapio pulled one back for Brothers in the added time of the first half from a penalty.Being completely unmarked inside the box, Raphael netted his second in the 78th minute, placing home a cross by Solomon. It was Raphael's 15th goal in the league this season. Bishal Das came off the bench to reduce the margin for the Gopibagh outfit in the 81st minute.
Meanwhile, the clash between the two Old Dhaka clubs was dominated by Farashganj, who scored only nine goals in their previous 17 games but managed to put three goals past Rahmatganj.
Defender Minhajul Abedin Ballu opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Nigerian striker Chinedu Mathew doubled the lead in the 72nd minute. Substitute midfielder Mahmudul Munna sealed the victory in the injury time.RESULTSSk Jamal 3 (Solomon 5, Raphael 44, 78) 2 Brothers (Siyo – 45+1-P, Bishal 81)Farashganj 3 (Ballu 8, Mathew 72, Munna 90+1) 0 RahmatganjTHURSDAY'S MATCHESMohammedan v Sheikh Russel, 4:30pmSaif Sporting v BJMC, 6:45pmBoth the games will be held at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka
Thursday, April 25, 2024
