Zahid brace powers Arambagh

A brace from veteran winger Zahid Hossain powered hosts Arambagh KS to an emphatic 2-1 win over the visiting Muktijoddha Sangsad at the Rafique Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh yesterday.

At the Shaheed Bulu Stadium in Noakhali, visitors Rahmatganj MFS notched a single-goal win over Team BJMC, thanks to a decisive strike by Congolese forward Siyo Zunapio.

With their fifth win in nine matches, Arambagh remain glued at fifth position and raised their points tally to 15 while Rahmatganj, with four wins in eight matches, leapfrogged from 11th to ninth position with seven points.

Smarting from an unfortunate 3-2 defeat at the hands of leaders Bashundhara in Nilphamari, Arambagh took to their home ground with hopes of returning to winning ways. Winger Zahid, who scored a hattrick on this pitch against Mohammedan, gave Arambagh the lead in the 13th minute with a left footer after nutmegging a Muktijoddha Sangsad defender inside the box.

After resumption, it was again Zahid who drove home with an angular shot after Paul Emile failed to connect with a square-pass from Chinedu Mathew in the 57th minute. Evan had reduced the margin with a low shot from outside the box in the 66th minute but Muktijoddha ultimately could not avert their fourth defeat in eight matches.

In Noakhali, Zunapio struck his sixth league goal in the 77th minute to give Rahmatganj their maiden victory in the ongoing tournament following four draws in their last seven matches. BJMC, with six defeats in nine matches, remained in second lat position.