LAHORE, Dec 30: PIA and Pakistan Port Qasim reached the final of the NBP Gold Cup Hockey Tournament by winning their respective semi-finals with identical margins (2-1) at the National Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.

The first semi-final was played between NBP and PIA.

The first half was locked at 1-1 amidst some strong protests from both the sides against umpires’ decisions.

A good number of international players who were playing in the match protested strongly. It looks as if the PHF should take some measures to avoid this situation in future.

The national carrier drew the first blood when international Zubair scored in the 14th minute.

The bankers restored the parity in the 27th minute through Imran Warsi who converted a penalty-stroke.

After the interval, Waqas Akbar managed to score a field goal in the 42nd minute which proved match-winner.

In the second semi-final, a decisive goal from Mohammad Khalid in extra time enabled Port Qasim to snatch victory against Army.

The scores were 1-1 in the first half and no team could break the ice even in the second session.

Port Qasim took the lead in the 32nd minute through Mohammad Atif, cashing in on a field attempt.

Two minutes later, Army vanished the lead when Mohammad Afzal converted a penalty-corner.

In the seventh minute of the extra time, Khalid converted a penalty-corner to make the way for his team to the final.