Abahani narrowly down perennial foes Mohammedan

Title contenders Abahani got off to a winning start at their home venue when the Sky Blues handed a slim 1-0 defeat to their perennial foes Mohammedan Sporting Club in the Bangladesh Premier League encounter at the Sylhet Stadium tonight.

Defensive midfielder Sohel Rana Jr. struck the all-important goal in the 27th minute to separate the two traditional powerhouses as they locked horns in the professional football league fixture outside Dhaka for the second time following the 'Dhaka Derby' in Cumilla last season.

The archrivals in the midst of an intense battle, as ever. Photo: BFF

The victory also helped Abahani regain the lead in the 12-team table with 12 points from five matches, just one point ahead of defending champions Bashundhara Kings and two points ahead of the third-placed Sheikh Jamal DC, who beat Sheikh Russel 1-0 in the day's other match earlier.

Mohammedan, one the other hand, tasted their first defeat in the ongoing league to slip to the fifth position with eight points from five matches.

Despite the absence of four regular players including Brazilian goal-machine Dorielton Gomes, Abahani successfully crossed the Mohammedan hurdle to raise the number of triumphs over the Black and Whites to 12 out of 27 meetings in the professional league. Mohammedan could beat Abahani only five times and the two sides had cancelled each other out 10 times.