Essa brace puts Fortis back on top

Gambian forward Essa Jallow scored a brace as a 10-man Fortis FC beat defending champions Mohammedan Sporting 2-1 in Cumilla on Saturday to rejoin Bashundhara Kings on top of the Bangladesh Football League.

Fortis, who had earlier defeated Mohammedan 2-0 in the first phase, now sit on 21 points, behind Kings on goal difference. Mohammedan, meanwhile, remained sixth with 10 points from 10 games.

Jallow put Fortis ahead in the 20th minute at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium with a superb first-time chip over advancing Mohammedan goalkeeper Sujon Chowdhury after defender Eli Keke failed to clear a long ball from the Fortis midfield.

Mohammedan responded with a series of attempts, but Fortis goalkeeper Sujan Perera was equal to the task.

The Black and Whites came close to levelling the score in the 45th minute when Muzaffaroz floated a delightful ball from midfield for Arif Hossain. The forward’s stabbed effort was blocked by Perera, and Samuel Boateng could only send the rebound wide.

Fortis doubled their lead in the 51st minute when Jallow headed home his second goal of the match from close range after Pa Omar Babou’s low free-kick was deflected upward in a crowded box by a Mohammedan defender.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 62nd minute when Sajed Hasan Jummon Nijhum blocked a goal-bound header from Boateng with his hand, conceding a penalty and receiving a red card.

Muzaffaroz, who had earlier left Mohammedan before the end of the first phase but returned following the club’s request, made no mistake from the spot, drilling a powerful shot into the net despite Perera diving the right way.

Mohammedan pushed for an equaliser late in the game but it was Fortis’ Nigerian forward Onyekechi Okafor who came close to increasing the lead when his left-footed volley from inside the box crashed against the crossbar. However, Fortis held firm to secure all three points and move back to the summit of the table.