After successive draws in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), title contenders Sheikh Jamal DC returned to winning ways by handling an emphatic 2-0 defeat to Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Sunday.
The Uzbekistan striker AtabekValidjanov and Gambian forward Solomon KingKanform struck a goal apiece to help the three-time champions climb to the second position in the 13-team table with 26 points from 12 outings, eight points fewer than the leaders Bashundhara Kings, who are the unbeaten in the first phase and collected 34 points from the same number of outings.
MSC, on the other hand, collected 19 points from 12 matches, and lost three encounters and placed in sixth.
Sheikh Jamal, who came into the game on the back of draw with Rahmatganj MFS on Tuesday last, looked positive and dominated throughout the game against the once football powerhouse MSC.
With this win, Sheikh Jamal became unbeaten into the first phase of BPL. They won seven and drawn five encounters, the Yellow Fear qualify for AFC Cup. The Dhanmondi outfit played AFC Cup in 2016. Striker Atabek Validjanov of Sheikh Jamal broke the deadlock in the 25th minute with the help of his team mates Gambian forward Pa Omar Jobe, who scored 12 goals in the season. Gambian forward Solomon King Kanform, then all but doubled the margin after beating goalkeeper Mohammed Ahsan Habib in the 83 rd minute of the game.
After resumption, Solomon King Kanformmade it 2-0 in the 83rd minutes as his country fellow Pa Omar Jobe again passed the ball to him and he netted the ball into MSC post.