Pakistani Striker's Brace Lifts Brothers Past Abahani in Three-Red-Card Thriller
Brothers Union claimed their first win of the Bangladesh Football League as Pakistani striker Syed Ali Raja scored twice in a 2-1 victory over Abahani in Gopalganj on Friday.
It was an incident-packed match. Three red cards were shown, with Abahani finishing with 10 men and Brothers with nine, yet Brothers still held on for the win.
Friday featured two matches in the Bangladesh Football League. Alongside Brothers, Rahmatganj also won, while three more league matches are scheduled for tomorrow.
Brothers Union took the lead in the 27th minute in Gopalganj. Raja got a touch on Thiago's long ball; the goalkeeper got a hand to it but could not keep it out.
Trailing, Abahani pushed for an equaliser. In the 42nd minute Brothers goalkeeper Mohammad Rajib blocked Al Amin's shot from inside the box, and a minute later he leapt to grip Sunday's header. Abahani went into the dressing room still behind.
After the break Abahani pressed desperately to level. In the 57th minute, from a set piece, Yasin fed Nigerian World Cup player Babatunde, and Rabiul Hasan fired a powerful shot to equalise.
But in the 60th minute players from both sides clashed. Amid the pushing and heated exchanges, the referee sent off both Okachi and Santana, leaving each team a man down.
Brothers went ahead again in the 76th minute. Mohammad Asaduzzaman Bablu failed to clear Jamal Bhuyan's pass, and Raja, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, found the net for his second goal.
Four minutes later Rajib kept out Sajeb's long-range effort. More drama was still to come at the end.
In the 89th minute Brothers' Mirad was sent off, reducing his side to nine men. Even with an extra player in the closing moments, Abahani could not score again, and the match ended 2-1.
The win lifts Brothers Union to eighth place with five points from five matches. Abahani Limited, with seven points from four matches, sit fifth in the table.
In the day's other match, Rahmatganj beat Youngmen's Fakirerpool 3-2. Attention now turns to tomorrow's three league fixtures.
