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| September 11, 2005 | Sunday | Sha’aban 6, 1426 |
Shabbir fires Qalandars to narrow victory
Qalandars 3…………………Dynomos 2
KARACHI, Sept 10: Sindh Qalandars broke sweat to overcome battling underdogs Capital Dynamos 3-2 thanks to two-goal Shabbir Hussain in the Super Hockey League at Hockey Club of Pakistan on Saturday.
Qalandars, an experienced outfit, were quick to open the scoring in the second minute of the game when Gohar Rasool coolly slotted home past young and inexperienced Capital Dynamos goalkeeper Amanullah on a penalty corner.
Like the opening game against Baloch Lions which they lost 2-3, Qalandars again missed few sitters as Mohammad Zubair’s slackness deprived him a goal-scoring chance in the 11th minute as he took too much time to act before being dispossessed.
Indian import for Qalandars, Dilip Tirkey sent the ball over the bar on the second penalty corner, while Qalandars goalkeeper Ahmad Alam padded away a Dynamos attack on a short corner two minutes later.
Zubair again came close to scoring but missed the opportunity while Amanullah was beaten followed by Shabbir’s rising try that sailed over the woodwork in the dying moments of the first quarter.
After ten minutes of midfield play in the second quarter, Dynamos rattled Qalandars with a swift dribbling run by Mohammad Nadeem that ended on Mudassir Ali Khan wasting the pass.
Dynamos, who were continuously pressing for the equaliser with their counter attacks, shocked Qalandars when a clever Gagan Ajit Sindh free hit was passed on by Mudassir to Shahid Rabbani whose rasping reverse flick from the top of the circle was too hot for aging Ahmad to handle in the 30th minute.
Dynamos might have gone ahead as Ahmad out of the line and beaten but squandered the chance as Ishtiaq Ahmad could not control the ball near the goalmouth behind the goalie.
An unmarked Player-of-the-Match Shabbir at the goalmouth did not commit mistake when he rifled home over Amanullah after being perfectly fed from the right while the Dynamos defence was beaten in the 34th minute.
Using his usual tempo-breaking tactics, Ahmad took a timeout after being rattled by sudden assaults.
Amanullah was alert during late second quarter penalty corner to Qalandars.
Qalandars pulled their third through a Shabbir scoop over Amanullah in the 46th minute. But Tirkey, who was motivating and advising his team-mates like a leader, was not once again unsuccessful on another short corner when he shot wide off target.
Tariq Yamin tried through a penalty corner for Dynamos but this time Ahmad saved well two-and-a-half minutes before the end of third quarter.
Yet there was more trouble in store for Qalandars as Dynamos shook their opponents either making deep incursions or threatening through short corner strikes.
Mudassir’s full-blooded straight effort looked dangerous in the 53rd minute but this time Ahmad thwarted the attack.
Undaunted, Dynamos continue to trouble Qalandars defence and reduced the margin two minutes before time, Mudassir deflecting a long ball from outside the circle past Ahmad.
Mohammad Usman of Dynamos was brilliant when he slammed a reverse hit from the top of the circle off a Gagan pass only to see Ahmad saving the effort in the dying minutes.
Sunday’s fixtures:
Baloch Lions v Shan-e-Punjab at 6.30pm; Frontier Falcons v Sindh Qalandars at 9.30pm.
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