KRL remain unbeaten with 2-1 win over PIA

Defending champions move to fourth place in PPFL

KARACHI:

Defending champions KRL continued their winning streak in the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) with their third win on the trot when they defeated PIA 2-1 at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad yesterday.

Murtaza Hussain scored the opening goal in the 24th minute of the match to give KRL a 1-0 lead at the interval. PIA’s Muhammad Zeeshan equalised in the 64th minute, but KRL managed to snatch the win in the dying embers of the match as Mehmood Khan scored in the 89th minute.

According to KRL coach Sajjad Mehmood, the team is hoping to retain the title this season, and the departure of key players Kaleemullah, Saddam Hussain and Muhammad Adil will not be a problem for the team.

“So far, all the players are helping in delivering the results,” Sajjad told The Express Tribune. “We haven’t lost a single match in the tournament and it shows that we are a resilient side.”

Sajjad said that the club faced a similar scenario in 2009 when they also lost key players but emerged as the winners. “It’s not new for us; it’s a part of the game. We lose key players, but we always find replacements,” said Sajjad.

The coach also reserved praise for the scorer of the first goal. “Murtaza is a new talent,” he said. “He used to play for HEC, we also picked players from Sahiwal, Chaman and Gilgit Baltistan to feature in our squad this season, and we believe we can retain our title.”

KRL have climbed to fourth place in the league with 10 points from four matches.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2014.

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