By Our Sports Reporter

 

Pakistan Navy 2 NBP 1

KESC 4 AAC 0


KARACHI, Oct 28: Fida Hussain’s second half winner powered Pakistan Navy into the quarterfinals after a deserved 2-1 victory over NBP in the President PFF Cup football championship Monday.

Surprise package KESC completed the quarterfinal line-up with an electrifying 4-0 triumph over Afghan Agency Chaman (AAC) in another knock-out match earlier at People’s Sports Complex.

In a match which was mainly dominated by the sailors the bankers took a shock lead when Jamil Baba slammed an unstoppable header after a Mohammad Ashraf cross in the 21st minute.

NBP goalkeeper Zahid Taj was defiant under the bar and denied several attempts by Navy before the halftime after which the sailors came with full force to equalise and snatched the winner.

Navy’s Haider Ali Tipu collected a yellow card for rough tackle on NBP player seconds before the first half finished.

Navy front runners, Mohammad Ramzan and Fida, were causing troubles for the bankers with their weaving runs which paid dividends in the shape of an equaliser.

Navy got the equaliser they truly deserved with Ramzan right- foot shot crashing into the net following a Basharat pass in the 52nd minute.

Navy players led by Ramzan had heated arguments with referee Abrar Hussain who was trying to show their skipper Rana Zahir Ahmad a yellow on 61 minutes for using foul language.

Ramzan and his teammates circled and jostled Abrar apparently asking him not to penalise Rana. But the game resumed only after Abrar finally showed a yellow to Navy captain.

The sailors not only maintained but also increased their tempo of attacks in the middle of second period.

NBP’s hopes dashed as they caved in with Fida smashing home the winner after picking the ball that slipped from Zahid’s hands after a 70th-minute strike.

The bankers got their acts together but could not level, although Sattar Mansoori could have scored from an acute angle his belated try was well booted to the safety by a Navy defender.

Constant orders from the NBP bench nearly paid off and bankers once again penetrated Navy defence only to see Jamil’s drive from 10 yards outside hitting the post in the dying moments of the game.

KESC drew first blood with a goal from Aurangzaib off a Ahmad Lal pass on the stroke of half hour.

AAC further went down as they conceded three goals after the break with KESC scoring their second through Aftab Qadir who was set up by Lal Mohammad ten minutes into the second half.

Aurangzaib grabbed his second with a powerful long-range drive in the 63rd minute, while Lal Mohammad completed the tally when he received a Abdul Waheed pass in the 84th minute.

Quarterfinal fixtures:

Tuesday: Pakistan Machine Tool Factory v Wapda at 1.00pm; Agha Gas Quetta v HBL at 3.00pm.

Wednesday: KESC v Pakistan Navy at 1.00pm; ABL v PTCL at 3.00pm.

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