With their sixth win, Russel improved their tally to 23 points from 13 matches to jointly lead the table along with two perennial rivals Mohammedan and Abahani, who have played one match less while Chittagong Abahani remained at 10 points from 13 outings.

Both the teams had to play the last twenty minutes with one player short as Russel's Moroccan striker Touati Youness and Abahani's Nigerian defender Othello Bonei were involved in an off the ball brawl to receive the marching order from Mizanur Rahman.

After a high voltage encounter in the previous day between the two archrivals the big bowl was almost empty and the first half in the rain-soaked pitch hardly produced anything.

But the match came to life in the second half when giants Russel rode on their Moroccan recruits to take a 4-0 lead before their port city rivals, who lost their first-leg match against the same opponents by 3-0 margin, brought a short excitement after scoring three goals in the space of eight minutes.

Lanky Youness drew the first blood in favour of Russel when his 30-yard right-footer reached the target in the 53rd minute after his compatriot midfielder Noureddine Zaim set him up.

Noureddine then doubled the lead after four minutes from close range availing a defensive lapse of Abahani's while another Moroccan recruit Ighir Mohammad made it 3-0 with a low-curving shot inside the box after receiving a back-heel of substitute Maksudul Amin Bulbul in the 63 rd minute.

Mashud Parvez Kaiser struck the fourth goal in the 77th minute with a shot from long range leaving Abahani's substitute goalie Khokon helpless.

But Chittagong Abahani suddenly bounced back with Khokon Das reducing the margin in the 80th minute by a right-footed angular from the right side of the danger zone capitalizing on an Abraham pass while Abaraham himself converted a penalty in the 85th minute after opponent defender Pradip fouled Chittagong Abahani's left winger Anisur Rahman inside the danger zone.

Two minutes from time, Sheikh Russel conceded a suicidal goal by Moroccan Rida Saadane, who sent the ball home trying to clear a fierce-cross by Abahani's Jahangir Alam.