Abahani edged past eternal rivals Mohammedan 2-1 in a thrilling Dhaka Derby of the Bangladesh Football League on Friday, with Sulaiman Diabate scoring the decisive goal at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla.

After a month-long break, the league resumed with one of its most anticipated fixtures, though the “home” of the derby has increasingly shifted outside Dhaka. The match saw Mohammedan take an early lead just three minutes into the game when Muzaffar Muzaffarov scored sensationally direct from a corner kick.

However, Abahani responded quickly, leveling the score in the 17th minute through Mirajul Islam, who converted a pass from Emeka Ogbugh after beating a defender and finishing past goalkeeper Sujon Hossain.

The second half saw Abahani dominate possession and create better chances. Their breakthrough came in the 66th minute when Emeka produced a brilliant solo run, beating three defenders before setting up Sulaiman Diabate. The striker turned 180 degrees and finished clinically between two defenders to score against his former club.

Diabate, who had led Mohammedan to Federation Cup and league success over the past two seasons, marked his first goal against his former side—one that ultimately proved decisive in Abahani’s victory.

Mohammedan pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages but failed to break through Abahani’s defence.

With the win, Abahani moved up to second place in the standings with 22 points from 12 matches, while Mohammedan slipped to seventh with 11 points amid a run of poor form.

Bashundhara Kings lead the table with 24 points from 11 games.