After 8th consecutive wins, Dhaka Abahani Ltd dropped points first in the 11-team Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League playing 1-1 draw in a tense packed match with traditional rivals Dhaka Mohammedan SC at the Moulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium here on Saturday.
Despite the day's maiden draw, Dhaka Abahani Ltd maintained their top slot intact in the league with unbeaten record securing 25 points from nine matches while Dhaka Mohammedan SC remained at 3rd slot collecting 20 points from eight matches.
Premier Div Hockey: Ashraful's hattrick guides Dhaka Abahani Ltd to bag 8th successive win
Earlier, Abahani Ltd outplayed Dilkusha SC by 10-1 goals, Usha KC by 2-1 goals, Azad SC by 10-1 goals, Sadharan Bima KS by 3-0 goals, Victoria SC by 16-0 goals, Ajax SC by 7-1 goals, Police SC by 4-2 goals and Bangladesh SC by 6-2 goals
In the day's crucial match, Rakibul Hasan Rocky put the sky-blue Dhanmondi outfit Abahani ahead by a field goal in the very 3rd minute of the match (1-0).
The traditional black and whites Mohammedan had to wait till 32nd minute to make a equaliser by the promising defender Amirul Islam from a penalty corner (1-1).
The two foreign match umpires from Sri Lanka and Malaysia, took more than one and half hour time to complete the day's 60- minute dramatic and tense-packed match between two arch-rivals.
Premier Div Hockey: Dhaka Mohammedan SC maintain unbeaten run beating Police SC 4-3
Dhaka Abahani, which won most of their previous matches with good command over their opponents, today was comparatively off coloured. against Mohammedan SC
Earlier in the day's first match, defending champions Dhaka Mariner Youngs Club, riding on a hattrick by Shohanur Rahman Sobuj, outplayed Bangladesh Sporting Club by 9-1 goals at the same venue Saturday afternoon.
Defender Shohanur Rahman Shohan made a hattrick scoring four goals, Khorshedur Rahman struck two, Sadaf Salehin, Rahid Hossain and Indian Ajay Yadav scored one each for the Mariner Youngs.
Indian player Prince Kumar contributed consolation goal for Bangladesh SC