January 22, 2006	Sunday	Zilhaj 21, 1426

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KARACHI, Jan 21: Azhar Iqbal rescued ten-man Pakistan Army with a late strike to help soldiers salvage a 3-3 draw against Pakistan Steel in All-Pakistan departmental hockey championship on Saturday.

The match, which saw two Army players receiving marching orders late in the second half, started with a goal by Pakistan Steel in the 13th minute through Mohammad Zubair at Hockey Club of Pakistan.

The soldiers were quick to respond as they equalised two minutes later with a Mohammad Saleem goal.

Pakistan Steel again went ahead through Kashif Ali penalty corner conversion in the 24th minute and consolidated their position when they stretched the lead with their third through Zubair in the 60th minute.

When it seemed Pakistan Steel might emerge 3-1 winners, soldiers bounced back from two goals down to put the game on an even keel. Mohammad Imran found the target on a short corner in the 67th minute.

Azhar slotted home the leveller the next minute but received temporary suspension, soon after scoring the goal. Army faced some anxious moments near the end as they were reduced to nine players when Saleem was red carded a minute before time.

Three-goal Shafqat Rasool gave Habib Bank (HBL) a convincing 5-1 victory over Police.

Shafqat opened banker’s account with a fourth-minute strike which was followed by a Rizwan Khan goal in the 28th minute.

Without giving policemen a chance to recover, the bankers netted their third when Shafqat got his double five minutes into second session.

All policemen could do was to score consolation goal six minutes later through Mansoor Abbas.

The bankers took an unassailable lead with a third Shafqat goal in the 48th minute, while international Haider Hussain banged home the fifth to complete the tally in style in the 63rd minute.

Mohammad Nadeem struck twice in National Bank’s (NBP) 5-1 triumph over Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC).

Skippered by former Pakistan penalty corner expert Sohail Abbas, SSGC received first jolt when the bankers went 1-0 up after a Nadeem goal in the 27th minute, although winners were not impressive till then.

Coming back from break, NBP’s Tariq Aziz found the cage in the 59th, while Nadeem grabbed his second in the 61st minute.

Desperately looking to reduce the margin, SSGC finally got their solitary goal when a Sohail drag-flick breezed past bankers goalkeeper Shabbir Hussain in the 64th minute.

But the goal proved a consolation for SSGC as the bankers made it 4-1 the next minute through Mohammad Anis before Naeem Akbar completed the rout a minute from the end.

In a one-sided affair, PIA handed a crushing 15-0 defeat to Higher Education Commission (HEC).

Mahmood Ali went on a rampage with four strikes, Kamran Ashraf netted thrice, Shafqat Malik twice, while Mohammad Imran, Amir Saleem, Mohammad Mukhtar, Ali Raza, Irfan Mahmood and Yasir Islam scored one goal apiece.

Sunday’s fixtures:

PAF v Customs at 10.00am; Pakistan Steel v POF at 12.00pm; HBL v Navy at 2.00pm; Army v Railways at 4.00pm.