Mohammedan end first phase of BFL on a low

A wasteful Mohammedan finished the first phase of the Bangladesh Football League with a goalless draw against Brothers Union at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Flight Lt Matiur Rahman Stadium in Munshiganj on Friday.

The stalemate marked Mohammedan's third consecutive draw in nine matches and left the defending champions in sixth place in the 10-team table with 10 points, having managed just two wins, four draws and three defeats. Brothers Union, meanwhile, sit just behind them in seventh place with nine points from the same number of matches.

Both sides found the net in the first half, but each goal was ruled out for offside. Mohammedan were the better side overall and created several scoring opportunities, particularly after the break, but their forwards were wasteful in front of goal. Brothers goalkeeper Ishaque Akando delivered an impressive performance, making a series of timely saves to deny the Black and Whites.

Mohammedan head coach Alfaz Ahmed admitted his side's struggles in the opening phase of the league, pointing to their lack of cutting edge in attack.

"This is not the same team that won the league title last year, and it is very difficult to get results without key players like Mozaffarjon Muzaffarov," Alfaz said. "The local players are also not scoring goals. Last season, we had regular scorers like Souleymane Diabate and Emmanuel Sunday, but this time it has not been a champion squad."

The former national forward also felt the club had suffered due to changes in foreign-player regulations, with the South Asian quota proving crucial for some teams.

"Teams that did not sign South Asian players have been struggling. We wanted to give more opportunities to local players, but those who recruited South Asian footballers have benefited," Alfaz added, expressing hope that the club management would strengthen the squad ahead of the second phase of the league.