Heavyweights sail through in BFL resumption

Heavyweights Bashundhara Kings and Abahani resumed the second phase of the Bangladesh Football League with victories, while some minnows stumbled as the league returned after a two-month break with matches held at four venues on Friday.

League leaders Bashundhara Kings, despite the absence of Brazilian duo Raphael Augusto and Dorielton Gomes, beat a reinforced PWD 2-0 at Kings Arena. Midfielder Mohammad Ridoy and Nigerian forward Emmanuel Sunday scored on either side of the break to keep the five-time champions firmly on track in the title race.

The Kings, who had suffered one defeat and two successive draws in December and January, returned to winning ways after three matches and took solo lead with 21 points from 10 matches.

With second-placed Fortis FC set to face defending champions Mohammedan on Saturday, Abahani climbed to third place in the 10-team table with 16 points from 10 matches after securing a convincing 4-1 win over Rahmatganj in Cumilla.

Abahani looked formidable after fielding all three of their foreign recruits for the first time. Brazilian forward Bruno Oliveira struck a brace in his first match of the season in Bangladesh, while Nigerian striker Emeka Ogbugh also found the net in his debut appearance for the Sky Blues. Syed Shah Quazem added the fourth goal in a dominant display before Rahmatganj pulled one back through Solomon King in second-half stoppage time.

The defeat, Rahmatganj’s third in 10 matches, saw them slip from second to fifth place in the standings.

In Gazipur, Bangladesh Police and Brothers Union shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw in a match crucial for both sides in their bid to improve their positions in the table. Substitute Brazilian Paulo Santos equalised in the 78th minute after Pakistani forward Shayak Dost had put Brothers Union ahead in the 73rd minute.

The draw left Bangladesh Police just behind Abahani with 15 points from 10 matches.

In Manikganj, relegation-threatened Arambagh earned a valuable point in a 1-1 draw against Fakirerpool Young Men’s Club. Guinean forward Louis Lansana converted an 84th-minute penalty to cancel out Ghanaian striker Kwame Kizito’s 80th-minute opener.

Despite the draw -- their third of the season -- Arambagh remained bottom of the table with six points from 10 matches, while Fakirerpool sat just above the relegation zone with 10 points from as many games.