KARACHI: Wohaib FC were relegated from the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) on Wednesday after another defeat left them with only pride to play in their remaining matches.
Wohaib lost 3-0 to National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) here at the KPT Football Stadium which left them rooted to the bottom of the standings on eight points with five more games of the season left to play and no chance of staying up even if they win all those games.
PMC Athletico, who occupy 15th place and the final relegation place, have 21 points after they were thumped 5-1 by an Aurangzaib Baba-inspired Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) at the People’s Sports Complex.
HBL are out of the drop zone with 24 points, and they will have to fight it out with PMC to see which team from the PPFL joins Wohaib in the Pakistan Football Federation League (PFFL) next season.
After a goalless first-half in which Wohaib did quite well to contain NBP, the floodgates opened in the 56th minute when Rai Akmal Shahzad expertly tucked away a set-piece.
NBP had to wait till the final two minutes to secure all three points when Abdul Aziz, who was exceptional throughout the game, scored with a blistering shot before Mohammad Asif scored deep in injury-time as the bankers went to 37 points.
Wohaib FC have had a dreadful season so far with just one victory and a goal-difference of an astonishing -44.
KESC moved up to second spot, level on 53 points with Pakistan Air Force (PAF) but ahead of them on goal-difference, after Aurangzaib struck a sensational treble.
After PMC’s Mohammad Aslam scored an own goal in the 27th minute, Aurangzaib doubled their lead with a sizzling shot five minutes later before Abdul Salam made it 3-0 in the 70th.
PMC got on the score-sheet when Mohammad Usman in the 70th but Aurangzaib, who partners the prolific Mohammad Rasool in KESC’s attack, showed he too is a clinical finisher when he struck with a deft shot in the 79th before completing his hat-trick three minutes from time.
Thursday’s fixtures:
PIA v ZTBL (Korangi Football Stadium, Karachi); Baloch FC v KRL (Noushki Football Stadium, Noushki).