Wapda power past PTV in hockey championship

Wapda crush PTV 4-2 in 58th National Hockey Championship; PIA and Steel Mills also come out victorious.

Wapda crushed PTV 4-2 in the 58th National Hockey Championship at the Faisalabad Hockey Stadium as PIA and Steel Mills also came out victorious in their matches.

PTV’s Waqar Ahmed fired the opening goal in the fourth minute before Wapda equalised with Waqas Sharif’s goal in the 38th minute. Muhammad Iftikhar then put Wapda ahead in the 56th minute as PTV seemed to have run out of steam. Rashid and Mohammad Umair’s goals in the 61st and 68th minute respectively then demolished any chances PTV had of a comeback as Wapda sealed the match.

In another match, SSGC dwindled in goal-keeper Salman Akbar’s absence as they lost to Steel Mills 4-3. Abbas Haider’s brace gave SSGC the lead in the first half before Steel Mill’s Malik Imran scored the first for Steel Mills. Yaseen Anwar levelled the score in the 38th minute after which Usman put Steel Mills ahead again in the 46th minute.

But Imran completed his brace and Anwar scored another goal for Steel Mills to seal a thriller.

Meanwhile, NBP and Navy found themselves ending up in a tense 3-3 draw. Both teams were on a scoring-spree, firing within a few minutes of each other, but failed to produce a victor.

PIA defeated Port Qasim 2-1 courtesy Mohammad Irfan and Ihsanullah who nullified Yasir Dilawar’s 16th-minute goal.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2011.