KARACHI, Oct 29: Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) began their Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) title defence with a classy 3-1 victory over Wapda while two stunning free-kicks set Afghan FC on their way to a 4-0 thrashing of Pakistan Navy here on Tuesday.

National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) lost their third consecutive game, falling to a 2-1 defeat against Pak-Afghan Clearing Agency (PACA) which left head-coach Nasir Ismail fuming at the scheduling of their games while Habib Bank Limited (HBL) gaffer Yousuf Khan echoed the same sentiment following their 2-0 defeat to Muslim FC.

But all attention was towards KRL who are looking to win their third successive title and rubber-stamp their authority on Pakistan football.

“They [KRL] are head and shoulders above the rest of the league,” admitted Wapda assistant coach Tanveer Ahmed after the match. “They are at a different level especially after their fine performances at the AFC President’s Cup.”

Fresh from becoming the first side from the country to reach the final of a continental competition, KRL showed that their march to the final of the President’s Cup last month — where they lost 1-0 to Turkmenistan’s Balkan FC — was no fluke.

Wapda, who were missing head-coach Khalid Butt at the touch-line, went into the game unbeaten since the start of the season but were undone by Tariq Lutfi’s well-oiled outfit at the KPT Stadium.

KRL went on the attack from the onset and it didn’t take them long to take the lead. Ace striker Kaleemullah drew a foul inside the penalty box and captain Samar Ishaq blasted home resulting spot-kick in the 12th minute.

Wapda had a glorious chance to equalise ten minutes later when they too won a penalty but Zulfiqar Ali shot straight in the hands of KRL goalkeeper Saqib Hanif.

“If we had scored then, the result of the match would’ve been very different,” Tanveer added.

Wapda, though, were lucky to reach half-time just a goal down as last season’s top-scorer Kaleemullah and team-mate Mehmood Khan missed clear-cut chances to score for KRL.

KRL turned on the style in the second-half, with Rizwan Asif doubling their lead on the hour mark to cap a delightful passing move.

Left-back Mohammad Shahid played a one-two with winger Mohammad Adil before squaring a ball for Rizwan who had the easiest of jobs to tap-in at the far post.

“It was great to be on the score-sheet,” Rizwan, who missed last season with a leg injury, told Dawn. “I’m happy with my performance and hopefully I’ll be able to score many more goals during the course of the season.”

Adil, Mehmood then missed chances to put KRL 3-0 up and Kaleemullah had a goal disallowed for outside but he gave his side a three-goal advantage with a superb finish in the 77th.

Zia-us-Salam threaded a perfect through ball to the nifty striker who took the ball inside the box before turning inside a defender and chipping it past the goalkeeper.

Wapda, though, pulled one back with their top marksman Arif Mehmood scoring off a corner with a header that arrowed past Saqib’s outstretched hand at the near post.

“It was a good performance from the boys,” Lutfi told Dawn after the game. “The margin of victory would’ve been greater if we had managed to put in our earlier chances but nevertheless it’s a good start to the season for us.”

If KRL exhibited a fluent attacking game, Afghan FC produced a masterclass in set-piece execution in the later game at the KPT Stadium in which their skipper Jadeed Khan Pathan registered a hat-trick.

Jadeed opened the scoring in the 28th minute when he scored with a swerving free-kick from the edge of the box which was heading wide before curling in sharply and going in at the far-post past Navy goalkeeper Shehroz, who was already dazed following an earlier collision.

The second goal was a screamer. Abdul Ali let fly from 30 metres and his powerful shot went over the wall before dipping just at the right moment to go in off the underside of the crossbar in the 40th.

Jadeed, who also saw his volley tipped onto the post and out by Shehroz in the first-half, completed his treble with second-half goals in the 71st and the 89th.

Victory helped Afghan FC rise to ninth in the standings with 12 points from 10 games, level on points with Navy but ahead on goal difference.

PACA are a point behind Afghan FC following their victory over NBP after they came from a goal down in the first-half to extend the bankers’ losing streak.

NBP took the lead at the Korangi Baloch Stadium with Javed Hamza scoring on the half-hour mark with a deflected strike but Hazrat Moaz levelled the scores in the 57th before Abdul Hadi’s winner in the 79th.

“The hectic schedule of the PPFL has played its part in our series of losses,” Nasir, whose side are level on 16 points with fourth-placed Wapda and fifth-placed HBL, told Dawn after the match.

“We’ve been playing games with a day’s gap between them and it doesn’t help us in any way as our players aren’t getting ample time to correct their mistakes.”

HBL trainer Yousuf agreed with Nasir after seeing his side slump to a 2-0 loss to Muslim FC at the KMC Stadium.

“Less time between games leaves no time for conditioning of the players,” he told Dawn. “We can’t give players proper rest in between games so it affects their performance.”

Goals by Ayatullah in the 32nd and Abdul Wasay in stoppage time secured victory for Muslim FC who moved up to third in the table, level on 18 points with second-placed Karachi Port Trust (KPT).