KARACHI: Mohammad Naseem scored twice, including an injury-time winner, to help Pakistan Police seal a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Pak-Afghan Clearing Agency (PACA) in the opening match of the second-division Pakistan Football Federation League (PFFL) on Tuesday.

Fareed Ahmed had given PACA a 19th-minute lead in the Departmental Leg Group ‘B’ match in Quetta but Naseem scored the equaliser in the 70th before scoring the winner a minute into stoppage time.

The other Group ‘B’ teams are Aqua Pure Water Company, Social Welfare Team and Insaf Afghan Goods Trading Company.

The top two teams from each of the three Departmental Leg groups advance to the final round with the final round winner to gain promotion to the top-tier Pakistan Premier Football League. Groups ‘A’ and ‘C’ will be played in Karachi and Lahore respectively from March 13.

The club leg, featuring five teams, also begins in Lahore from March 13. The winner of the club leg will join the departmental leg winner in this season’s PPFL.

The PFFL is the first men’s tournament that has been organised by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Normalisation Committee since it was appointed by global football body FIFA in September last year.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2020