Abahani salvage draw to stay in Federation Cup hunt

Last season’s Federation Cup runners-up Abahani kept their semifinal hopes alive after coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Rahmatganj MFS, courtesy of a disputed penalty in Cumilla on Tuesday.

The result left Abahani second in the five-team group with four points from three matches, three behind leaders Brothers Union, who beat PWD SC 3-0 at Bashundhara Kings Arena.

With a match in hand against winless Fakirerpool Young Men’s Club, Brothers have all but secured a semifinal berth. The remaining spot will be contested by Abahani, PWD SC (three points) and Rahmatganj (two), with the latter two sides having two matches in hand.

The Cumilla clash was a rematch of last Friday’s Bangladesh Premier League meeting, when Abahani thrashed Rahmatganj 4-1 at the same venue, but the Sky Blues struggled to break down the Old Dhaka side’s defence despite dominating possession at Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium.

Rahmatganj took the lead against the run of play in the ninth minute when Earnest Boateng fired a low shot from outside the box past Abahani goalkeeper Mitul Marma. Jubayer Ahmed nearly doubled the lead in the 13th minute after capitalising on a defensive fumble, but Alamgir Mollah recovered to intercept.

Abahani equalised through a penalty in the 42nd minute after Syed Shah Quazem Kirmanee was tackled inside the box. The decision sparked protests from Rahmatganj players, halting play for seven minutes before Sheikh Morsalin converted.

“It was not penalty because my player did not charge the Abahani player rather he stood tall,” claimed Rahmatganj coach Kamal Ahmed Babu hoping that they have still good chances to progress to the semifinals as they have matches against PWD and Fakirerpool.

After the break, neither side managed to score again despite creating chances.

In the other match, Pakistani Shayak Dost gave Brothers the lead in the 12th minute following a defensive error before Guinean forward Kerfala Kouyate doubled the advantage in the 58th minute after goalkeeper Usman Ali failed to grip a simple ball. Insan Hossain, set up by Jamal Bhuiyan, sealed the win with a close-range strike in second-half stoppage time.