-File photo

PESHAWAR: Army and Navy advanced to next round after securing victories against their respective rivals in the hockey event of the 31st National Games which got underway at Abbottabad Hockey Stadium on Saturday.

In the first match Army defeated Wapda by 4-3 in a thrilling encounter that saw Pakistan’s star drag-flicker Sohail Abbas in full flow. Army took the lead in the 3rd minute through Muhammad Shafique who breached Wapda’s defence for a straightforward field goal. But soon Abbas scored off a penalty corner to level terms for Wapda and setup and enticing next passage of the game.

In the 29th minute Army took the lead again through Muhammad Kashif, the right winger, but his strike did not mean much as Abbas scored the equalizer right away, this time scooping the ball in the top of the net off a penalty corner. Kashif then scored his second goal in the dying moments of the first half to give Army a lead of 3-2 and put the pressure back on Wapda at half-time.

The second half saw Army dominate proceedings completely even as Muhammad Jaffar’s field attempt brought the score to 3-3.

Wapda, put under immense pressure by Army’s forwards, lost all shape and conceded another goal in the final minutes of the second half as Abdul Jabbar guided a cross straight in to the net to give his side a well-deserved 4-3 win.

In the next match, of the day Navy proved too good for a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa side that missed countless chances due to extremely poor finishing. For Navy Falak scored a goal on the penalty corner to give his team an easy win.

In the third match of the day, PAF and Punjab played a 1-1 draw. Imran and Muhammad Rizwan Khan scored for PAF and Punjab respectively.

Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Pakistan Navy, Wapda, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are taking part in the hockey event.