LAHORE, Nov 10: Army suffered a surprise 1-2 defeat at the hands of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) at the Army Stadium while Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) snatched a 4-2 win over Habib Bank Limited (HBL) in a heated contest at the KRL Stadium in Rawalpindi.

The first half in the NBP-Army encounter remained scoreless despite an attacking approach from both sides with all the action taking place in the second session. NBP struck through Mohammad Asif and Jamil Ahmed while striker Adnan Bari replied for the soldiers.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s as well as KRL’s skipper Mohammad Essa once again turned hero against HBL. The Chaman-born Essa, who had struck both the goals in their 2-0 win in the first leg, returned from the field once again with two goals against his name as KRL earned a smashing 4-2 win in the six-goal thriller.

Essa proved too disturbing for the bankers in the early stages and struck twice within 25 minutes. He landed the opener off Zia-us-Salam’s cross in the 15th minute and added other 10 minutes later, punishing a defensive blunder that left keeper Aqeel Ahmed with no chance whatsoever. Winger Mohammad Ishtiaq pulled one back in the 40th minute, firing his eighth goal of the event. KRL led 2-1 at interval.KRL maintained their dominance and added another two in the second session through the youngsters who represented Pakistan in the Beijing Olympics Qualifiers last year. Right winger Mohammad Ahmed went up to try his luck on a set piece and rifled the ball in the left corner to make it 3-1 in the 55th minute.

But HBL continued their occasional breakaways with striker Khayal Mohammad reducing the deficit to 3-2 in the 63rd minute. It was all over for the bankers when winger Abid Khan raised the score line to 4-2, giving league-topper KRL a double over HBL. KRL pocketed 40 points from 20 matches while HBL had 28 points from 22 outings.

In the matches played on Sunday, Imran Niazi hammered his sixth goal as Wapda earned a 1-0 win over Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) in the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) match played at Railway Stadium, Lahore. The other match also resulted in a 1-0 win for Punjab Medical College who brushed aside Afghan FC at the PMC Ground, Faisalabad.

Wapda began the game by scoring the lone goal in the 49th second through Imran Niazi. No other goals could be scored after that. It as sweet revenge for Wapda who were thrashed by KESC 5-1 in Karachi on July 31.

Meanwhile, Afghan FC went down to PMC with an 88th minute goal scored by Faisalabad-born striker Muzammil Hussain.

Tuesday’s fixtures:

Navy v Pak Steel at the Naval Complex, Islamabad; Pakistan Television v Pakistan International Airlines at the PSB Ground, Islamabad; Punjab Medical College v Karachi Electric Supply Corporation at PMC Ground, Faisalabad. Matches kick off at 3.00pm.—Agencies