HYDERABAD, April 24 Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) also reached the semi-finals after beating their respective rivals in the quarter-finals of the NBP National Football Challenge Cup (NFCC) at the HESCO Complex on Friday.

PIA will now take on Wapda and KRL will face Navy in the semi-finals to be played on Sunday after a day of rest.

The third quarter-final between PIA and Sindh Government Press (SGP) was won 5-0 by the former. But SGP can only blame themselves for the defeat as they fumbled on two sitters early in the second half.

First their skipper and stopper Abdul Rahim pushed the ball wide off the left post after FIFA referee Rana Naseer Ahmed penalised PIA`s central-defender Adeem Shahzad for a handball infringement and awarded a 50th-minute penalty kick to them. Two minutes later, left-out Akhtar Sr shot the ball over the bar when PIA`s keeper Bilal Rafiq showed slackness in front of the goal.

PIA scored their first goal in the 18th minute through their stopper Haji Ahmed`s angular header. Then their left-winger Nazeer Ahmed hammered the ball past SGP`s keeper Adnan Ahmed in the second minute of the first half`s injury time.

Three more goals were scored in the second half. Striker Shakir Lashari made it 3-0 in the 62nd minute to get his sixth individual goal of the event.

Midfielder Nasrullah dashed through the middle and unleashed a 25-metre drive to beat Adnan all ends up in the 88th minute. Abdul Ghaffar, another midfielder, completed the rout in the 89th minute.

The fourth quarter-final between KRL and Army had to be decided on penalty kicks after no goals could be scored during regulation as well as extra time.

The match was won 4-3 by KRL.

Sunday`s (Saturday is rest day) fixtures (Semi-finals) Navy v KRL at 8.30am; PIA v Wapda at 4.45pm.--Agencies