Sunday, August 10, 2008
By Alam Zeb Safi

KARACHI: Showing power and speed, former champions Pakistan Army recorded their third straight win after ousting Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) by 3-1 in a Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) match, held here at the Peoples Stadium on Saturday.

In the other match held here at Steel Mills Township Ground, Pakistan Steel overpowered Pakistan Television (PTV) by 2-1 to claim three crucial points.

Army, popular for having tremendous stamina and speed, showed exactly the same and especially disturbed the hosts with accurate long-range drives. The soldiers, who penetrated in the first half, drew first blood through Shakeel Yousuf, who made home with a back-pass from Imran Hussain in the 9th minute.

The hosts KESC fell into great trouble when they conceded an own goal, the third of the league, after their defender Farooq Umar guided a cross from Army’s striker Michael Masih into his own goal in the 17th minute.

KESC got the first open chance in the 35th minute but were unlucky to convert as Abdul Ghafoor’s angular drive from the top right went off target after deflecting from the visitors’ goalie Mahmood Ahmad.

KESC reduced the deficit in the 41st minute when Abdul Ghafoor guided a juicy cross from winger Lal Mohammad. Just before half time, Shakeel Yousuf added to the misery of KESC when his left-footer from the centre of the penalty box went past the diving goalkeeper Mohammad Umar.

At half time, Army were leading with 3-1. In the second half, KESC took the field with a solid strategy to test the soldiers’ defence with incisive rallies. They could have staged a smart comeback had the captain Akbar Ali’s two headers not gone off target after the 70th minute. The win took Army’s points to nine from three meetings while KESC have ten points from five outings.

In the other tie, Pakistan Steel beat PTV by 2-1. The first half, which proved barren, saw both teams missing a handful of open net chances. Pakistan Steel took the initiative in the 53rd minute through a splendid field effort from Mohammad Fazal.

The hosts claimed a penalty in the 80th minute and Mohammad Akmal made no mistake in taking the spot-kick, putting his team in the hunt with a 2-0 lead. However, PTV were able to score the consolation goal through Mohammad Shahzad in the 83rd minute.

The victory took Pakistan Steel’s points to seven from seven matches while PTV are yet to open an account after two meets.

Today’s fixtures: National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) v Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at Korangi Baloch Ground in Sharafi Goth, Karachi Port Trust (KPT) v Punjab Medical College (PMC) at CDGK Stadium.


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