Football is a very popular game. Whenever I watch this game on television, I get overjoyed. But when I watch it from the stadium gallery I feel as if I am playing it with others on the field.
Although I had seen several football matches which were inter-school tournament, I had not availed of the chance of witnessing a match held between two popular teams of our country. This opportunity came a few days ago. A match was played between Abahani and Mohammedan at Bangbabandhu Stadium.
I bought a ticket with much difficulty and occupied the seat in the gallery. The match was to be played at 4 P.M. There was a vast gathering in the field. The memory of that game is still afresh in my mind.
At the appointed time, the Abahani team started kicking the ball from the center. It marked the commencement of the match. The players of the Mohammedan team were spirited from the beginning and attacked the Abahani players.
Of course, the defense-strategy of the Abahani team was very intelligent. But the spirit of co-operation among the Mohammedan players brought a chance of scoring an easy goal against the Abahani team. In fact, the Mohammedan players were superior to the Mumbai players in all respects. They won the match because of their presence of mind, the speed and position of players and above all due to the lack of intelligence in the rival team.
The referee blew the whistle at the half time. At that time the score was 1-0 with a lonely goal by Sakib of Mohammedan team. The referee was a very strong headed person. He enforced the laws while deciding the disputed points. Sometimes, the linemen standing on the border of the ground helped the referee in giving decisions.
The Mohammedans dominated the match particularly in the second half. The center forward with the help of the midfielder scored two more quick goals against Abahani . The spectators on the gallery stood up and jubilantly cheered up the players. The referee blew the whistle. The match ended. The Mohammedan team won by 3-0 goals. It was an exciting game. I carried the game in my memory. It was really a wonderful experience for me.
