KARACHI:The Karachi Qualifiers Round of the first-ever Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five edition in Pakistan came to a pulsating end as Steel Town FC 2 emerged as the winners from the city where more than fifty teams had participated in the tournament. The team outwitted their rivals Neymarazil after a gripping finale held at the Rahat Football Stadium in Defense, Karachi.

Since the start of the Karachi Qualifiers Round, Steel Town FC 2 established their credentials as the team to beat, the young footballers from the team upped their game where they defeated Takaat FC in the quarters, Steel Town FC1 in the first semi-final before going past their opponents in the final match.

The Karachi winners are now set to travel to Islamabad for the national finals scheduled to take place on March 26. The qualifiers from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad are going to get engaged in a fierce battle for the lone national champion’s slot and later represent Pakistan at the World Finals in Brazil.

Meanwhile Junaid Habib, the captain of the Steel Town FC 2 was understandably delighted at his team’s win in the Karachi leg. “We are happy to win the Karachi Qualifiers Round and are now looking forward to playing against the top teams from Lahore and Islamabad, our aim is to win the national finals too and book a place in the world finals.”

The prestigious tournament in Brazil will be staged in the city of Santos, the hometown of Neymar Jr. A total of 35 teams from as many countries across six continents around the world are going to compete in the tournament.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2016