Football: PAF disappoint in 1-1 draw against ZTBL

Afghan FC awarded walkover after Navy refuse to visit Chaman.

KARACHI: A disappointing show by Paf in their 1-1 draw against ZTBL in Peshawar yesterday meant that they stayed in third position in the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) table.

Paf’s Muhammad Sher scored the opening goal in the 56th minute but ZTBL’s Muhammad Hanif scored an 88th-minute equaliser to earn a point for his side. According to Paf coach Mohammad Arshad, the team missed at least four opportunities in the second half to take maximum points and the performance was a disappointing one for him.

“We have been struggling this week but winning this match would have made a big difference in the long run,” Arshad told The Express Tribune. “ZTBL is a weak side and we should’ve scored more goals. This has been the most disappointing performance from my team this season. It was also our last match on at home so it would’ve been great to win here.”

Paf have 40 points after 21 matches and sit in third behind Army and KRL. Meanwhile, this was ZTBL’s eighth draw of the season out of 20 matches as they sit 10th with 20 points.

Meanwhile, Afghan FC were awarded a walk-over after Navy refused to visit Chaman for the match.

Afghan FC stayed in eighth with 22 points after 19 matches and Navy moved down to ninth with 20 points.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2012.