Gambia: Bah’s HJK Open Up 10 Point Cushion

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Babucarr Jeng

11 July 2011

Dawda Bah’s two times defending Finnish Veikkausliiga (premier league) champions prepared for their UEFA champions league second round qualifying first leg against Welsh side Bangor City with an emphatic 4-2 home win over second placed Inter Turku on Friday.

The team’s rookie midfielder Alexander Ring who is making a decent campaign so far in his first full season as a first team player and formed a great partnership with Gambian Dawda Bah in midfield also played the whole game and was playing in front of nearly 9000 spectators inside HJK’s Sonera Stadion for the first time in his career. But it was the show of forward Berak Sadik who grabbed a hatrick in the game.

“(It was) just a crazy atmosphere. It creates a great field for us players and it was quite a different feeling. The spectators’ were lively in the game and each player (was under pressure) to play better. So for the victory, we say a big thank you to our home fans” Ring said. The game was only 19 minutes old when HJK took the lead courtesy of a goal by Teemu Pukki after he was been put through by Berat sadik and the host’s were 2-0 up for the good just past the half hour mark in the 33rd minute as provider turned scorer when Berak Sadik scored for the first of his hatrick.

HJK’s third goal came just six minutes later and the game was over as a contest from that point. Erfan Zenelin made his way into the Inter Turku defence line after a beautiful work down the right to release Sadik who made it 3-0 in the 39th minute. In the second period, the nature of the game changed a little, even though it offered the fans an entertaining football but not until when HJK thought they had a firm control over the game. Sadik scored again gto complete his hatrick in the 58th minute for a 4-0 lead but Inter Turku caught them by surprise and pulled back two goals to ensure a dramatic finale but in the end the champions held on for an important victory.

With the win, HJK Helsinki now accumulated 39 points from 15 games, a massive ten points ahead of nearest challengers Inter Turku but Dawda Bah’s side played a game more. HJK will play away to Bangor City in the first leg of their UEFA champions league second round qualifier in Wales on Wednesday with the return leg to be played in Helsinki ten days later.

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