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LAHORE: Wapda’s veteran striker Khuda Bakhsh slammed a hat-trick in his team’s 5-2 thumping of KPT in the Pakistan Premier Football League match at Railways Stadium on Friday. The hat-trick from the 34-year old Khuda Bakhsh ‘Bakhshoo’ helped Wapda gain control of the match after half-time, having gone into the interval at 1-1.
In the day’s other matches, Young Blood FC were beaten 2-1 by NBP at the league newcomers’ home ground in Shiwal and Army defeated spirited Baloch side Afghan FC 2-0 at the Jinnah Sports Complex in Islamabad. Meanwhile, PAF humbled HBL 2-0 at Peshawar’s Qayyum Stadium.
Winning their 12th consecutive match in the competition, Wapda staged a late recovery after winger Zahid Ahmed opened the scoring for KPT in the 24th minute. However, Zeeshan Javed fired the equaliser in the 40th minute for Wapda. Bakhshoo then put his side 2-1 up in the 59th minute and striker Arif Mehmood made it 3-1 with his 18th goal of the tournament nine minutes later.
With the win in sight, Bakhshoo let loose on the fragile KPT defence and struck twice within 10 minutes (76th and 86th) to put the result beyond doubt. It was the fifth hat-trick of the tournament after Arif Mehmood (two hat-tricks), Zafar Majeed (KPT) and Jadeed Khan (Afghan FC).
Meanwhile in Sahiwal, two Pakistan internationals opened the scoring for NBP as they recorded their third win of the PPFL when they overwhelmed Young Blood FC 2-1. The home team got off to a good start when Asim Mansoor scored in the dying moments of the first half, but NBP dominated the second half and struck two beautiful goals through skipper Farooq Shah (62nd minute) and Abdul Aziz (66th minute).
In a top-of-the-table clash in Islamabad, Army edged out giant-killers Afghan FC 2-0 with goals in each half. Muhammad Imran opened the scoring in the 12th minute and Sharjeel Vicky doubled the lead 18 minutes from time to lift Army to the third spot with 24 points. Wapda lead the table with 37 points while Afghan FC are second on 26.
Pakistan Air Force recorded their sixth win of the league by brushing aside HBL 2-0 in Peshawar Cantt. It was the tenth defeat for the hapless HBl side, who, have bagged only five points in their 13 matches so far. PAF went into the lead through striker Muhammad Mujahid’s tenth-minute goal. It was the fifth goal for Mujahid. Paf added their second four minutes from time when midfielder Saleh Khan scored his first goal of the competition. —APP
Saturday’s fixtures: PMC Athletico v PIA, PEL v KESC, Navy v Baloch FC, KRL v SSGC.
