LAHORE, Feb 1: Five goals by penalty-corner specialist Sohail Abbas and three by Waseem Ahmed designed Wapda’s resounding 9-1 win over Punjab on the seventh day of the final round of the 56th National Hockey Championship at the National Hockey Stadium here on Sunday.
Sohail scored three goals in a row, converting the penalty-corners to give Wapda a flying start. Striking first in the 12th minute, he added another two in the 20th and 21st minutes to make it 3-0. Waseem opened his account in the 30th minute. And Sohail, looking hungry for goals, found the cage in the 33rd to change the score-line to 5-0.
A dying minute goal from Waseem, his second, helped Wapda take a 6-0 lead at the end of the first half.
The second session saw Waseem scoring his third off an indirect try on a short-corner in the 52nd minute as the winners surged ahead 7-0. Mudassar Ali fired a field goal in the 60th minute as Wapda were on song with an 8-0 lead. Sohail netted his fifth goal in the 67th minute as Zohaib Ahmed of Punjab scored the consolation goal in the 69th minute.
Two-goal Azlan enabled Habib Bank Limited (HBL) to earn a close 2-1 win against Navy, after scoring both the goals in the first half.
The bankers forged ahead with a field goal through Azlan in the 11th minute. The 33rd minute saw him finding the cage again off a field attempt.
Navy scored their solitary goal through Rao Nadeem in the 48th minute.
Two goals by Mehmood Ali propelled national champions PIA to a convincing 6-0 win against Port Qasim Authority (PQA). PIA led the first half 3-0.
Inayatullah opened the account in the second minute through a field goal. Mohammad Zubair slammed in another in the 24th minute while Kashif Ali banged home in the 26th minute to make it 3-0 in the first half.
The hapless PQA faced more miseries in the second half as Mehmood hit a field goal in the 50th minute while Olympian Shafqat Rasool scored in the 58th minute to make it 5-0. Giving no respite to PQA, Mehmood completed the tally in the 66th minute.
The tray championship results are as follows:
Sindh bt Capital Territories 8-0.
Sindh: Khalil (14th, 20th mins), Qamar (29th min), Adnan Hamid (34th min) Ashiq (39th, 49th min), Waqas (44th, 45th mins).
KESC and PTV drew 1-1.
KESC: Amir Iqbal (fifth min).
PTV: Waqar Butt (50th min).
Police beat Balochistan 8-4.
Police: Rana Omer (ninth min), Niaz Ahmad (12th, 24th mins), Tasawar Abbas (22nd, 51st mins) Abbas (31st, 62nd, 63rd mins).
Balochistan: Mohammad Saleem (13th min), Wasif Siddique (16th, 29th mins), Rana Rauf (32nd min).
PAF beat Pakistan Steel Mills 1-0.
PAF: Kashif Yaqoob (43rd min).
Monday fixtures:
Final Round: Army v Railways; Port Qasim v SSGC; PIA v Wapda.
Tray Championship: NWFP v Police; PAF v KESC.