LAHORE, Nov 20: Faisalabad-born winger Ali Adeem Shahzad became hero as Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) overcame Pak Elektron Limited (PEL) 2-0 in the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) match played at Lahore’s Railway Stadium on Thursday.

The tense encounter saw Adeem, a former Wohaib FC player, in fine form when he scored the opener while creating opportunity for striker Shakir Lashari to score the second goal. PIA now have 28 points from 23 matches while PEL have managed 27 points from their 21 games.

PIA were the first to settle down causing problems for keeper Ahmed Shahzad with their long-range drives. PEL, meanwhile, were rather lax in the initial period and suffered a setback when they lost their star midfielder Mohammad Rashid in the 23rd minute. Rashid was replaced by Amir Hamza.

The same minute saw PEL go down when PIA punished them for a defensive blunder. A right flank move caused panic in PEL’s area but PIA’s Shakir and Nazeer were unable to clip the ball in. When the ball fell towards Adeem, the winger made no mistake in slamming it into the left corner, giving Shahzad no chance of stopping it.

PEL got their first chance in the 29th minute but striker Din Badshah failed to head the ball properly off skipper Ijaz Sarfraz’s cross. PIA led 1-0 at interval.

PIA’s second goal emerged in injury time. Adeem evaded three tackles when he ran through from the left wing and cut the ball low across the area. Shakir Lashari, in the far corner, was on hand to fire his 15th goal of the event.

Friday’s fixtures: Wapda v National Bank of Pakistan at the Railway Stadium, Lahore, at 2.30pm and Punjab Medical College v Pak Steel at PMC Ground, Faisalabad, at 3.00pm.—Agencies