RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Air Force, Wapda, Pakistan Navy and National Bank of Pakistan have confirmed their berths in the semi-finals of the Mari Petroleum Azadi Cup.

Three matches were played at Ayub Park on Thursday, with PAF securing their berth despite a 1-1 draw with Sui Southern Gas Company.

PAF’s Mohsin Hassan secured the point that took PAF through, levelling the scores with a beautiful field goal in the 31st minute after SSGC had taken the lead in the eighth.

Shan Irshad scored a brace as NBP outclassed Punjab 6-2 while Navy overcame Pakistan Army 4-2.

NBP’s Mohammad Atiq converted a penalty corner in the 11th minute and Shan struck got his first in the 21st before two goals in a space of a minute — another penalty-corner conversion, this time by captain Abu Bakar, and Shan’s second — gave them a 4-0 lead by the 25th.

Punjab managed to get one back through Arsal’s penalty-corner conversion in the last minute of the second quarter but Abu Zar’s field goal in the 44th effectively wrapped up the contest. Zain Ijaz scored Punjab’s second five minutes later but Mohammad Naveed restored NBP’s four-goal lead in the 52nd.

Navy were 3-0 up by the 39th minute but Army pegged them back with two goals in five minutes by Shahid Ali until Hamad Ali made sure of the victory a minute before full-time.

In a fast start, Akbar Ali’s field goal in the fifth minute, Asad Aziz’s penalty corner in the 16th and Zulqarnain’s field goal put Navy on top. Shahid however slammed back-to-back goals, the first coming in the 41st, to give Army hope but their chances of getting a draw were snuffed out by Hamad near the end.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2021