Augusto steers Abahani to semifinals

A late header from Raphael Augusto powered defending champions Abahani to a 1-0 win over Sheikh Jamal in the second quarterfinal of the Federation Cup at the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj yesterday.

Brazilian midfielder Augusto, who missed Abahani's previous fixture due to a knee injury, managed to take the field and turned hero after heading home a corner kick from Daniel Colindres in the 82nd minute of an intense battle.

Although Sheikh Jamal have been struggling in the Bangladesh Premier League and came into the Fed Cup match on the back of a goalless draw against Rahmatganj, the three-time Federation Cup champions gave the Sky Blues a run for their money.

Both sides showed a fighting spirit, but neither could capitalise on opportunities in the first half, during which Sheikh Jamal had the upper hand. Raihan Hasan had threatened Abahani with his usual long throw-ins but Nodirbeck Mavlonov squandered the chances.

Abahani also had some chances but Colindres and Peter Nworah failed to cash in on opportunities, even one in front of an open net.

That pattern continued in the second half until Raphael Augusto finally broke the deadlock and sealed a victory with a header.