KARACHI, Oct 17: A four-goal onslaught by Zahid Niaz helped PIA fly high as they sparkled to a 5-2 victory over PWD in the President PFF Cup football championship Thursday.

Although the national carrier took control of the game in the later stage, they were shocked in the 25th minute when PWD’a Tariq Omar scored off a rebound after a Mumtaz Bhutto cross.

PIA equalised seven minutes later when Mohammad Omar chipped a delightful pass for Zahid who made no mistake in slamming home past PWD goalkeeper Sajid Ali.

Zahid was again supported by Omar a minute before the half time hooter, Zahid nodding home after some excellent approach play by Omar at People’s Sports Complex.

Zahid completed his hat trick in the 58th minute, the second of the tournament, after he tricked his way past two defenders before hammering a Abdul Ghaffar pass.

Still breathing down the neck, PWD gave another scare to PIA, narrowing the margin 3-2 in the 75th minute. Mumtaz again became the goal creator when he set up Ghulam Nabi who got the second.

Substitute Jawaid Nawaz got the fourth after being fed by another reserve Nasim Akhtar in the 79th minute. Zahid got a Jawaid pass to hammer the last nail in PWD’s coffin in the 83rd minute.

NBP earned full points when they shocked formidable Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) 2-1 in another match.

KRL, the runners-up, failed to overcome their rivals despite having an upper hand in both the sessions and going into 1-0 lead before the lemon time.

The game, which started with a blistering pace, saw a yellow card for NBP’s Akhtar Rasool who felled Ali Raza of KRL in the fourth minute.

KRL, as expected, hurried into a 1-0 ascendancy with live wire striker Allah Nawaz scoring with a stinging volley after a right wing cross from an unmarked Qadeer Ahmad in the 9th minute.

Pressing for another, KRL pounded the NBP goal with a 19th minute attack, only to see Qadeer rattling the bar with a close-range shot.

An opportunist 27th-minute strike by Mohammad Ismail levelled the score 1-1. Ismail’s right-foot shot landed into the cage after his teammate Nasir Ali lost control over a pass in the box.

KRL paid a heavy price for Hayatullah’s rough play who chopped down Ismail in the box four minutes before break. Shamim Akhtar converted the spot kick with ease to help NBP go 2-1 up.

And yet KRL had control over the game, having total possession but lacked killer thrust. They raided through Qadeer who was just a coat of paint off target as his angular shot trickled down the left to hit the post.

NBP attacked too, with stick-thin Nasir as the main schemer, but were either kept at bay by the KRL defence or lacked finishing.

The bankers could have conceded a goal in the 67th minute had goalkeeper Zahid Taj not tipped a rising Allah Nawaz header up and over the bar in the 67th minute.

NBP, though, could not add another, at least prevented KRL from scoring an equaliser with some tight marking on Qadeer.

In another game, Habib Bank (HBL) outplayed City District Government Karachi (CDGK) 4-2.

However, amazingly the CDGK wore yellow jerseys written KMC despite the fact that defunct KMC has been renamed as CDGK after government’s devolution plan.

Amjad Yousuf opened the scoring for the bankers after a Jawaid Ahmad pass in the 26th minute, while captain Mohammad Tariq converted a 32nd-minute penalty.

CDGK reduced the margin with a Imran Junior goal in the 39th minute followed a pass from Jawaid Ibraheem. HBL got their third through striker Shahid Saleem after some excellent work by Mohammad Bashir in the 62nd minute.

CDGK got another through Rahman Junior off a Sajid Ali pass in the 72nd minute. Shahid finished off the match after collecting a Mahboob Ali pass in the dying moments of the game.

Meanwhile, according to organizers, two Group ‘D’ teams Wapda and Agha Gas Quetta (AGC) automatically qualified for the knock-out stage after Pakistan Police withdrew from the tournament due to professional commitments.

Both Wapda and AGC have been given three points and two goals each after Policemen’s withdrawal.

Friday’s fixture: