SNGPL stun KE to cruise into quarter-finals

Defeat Karachi outfit 9-8 on penalties in NBP President’s Cup

KARACHI: SNGPL stunned 2014-15 national champions K-Electric 9-8 on penalties to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2016 NBP President’s Cup after a thrilling Group C match at the KPT Stadium on Sunday.

SNGPL, who came into existence just three years ago, made an impressive start when they took the lead through Shahzad Mehmood in the third minute, while Syed Ghazi doubled their advantage in the 43rd minute.

Striker Sadabahar scored the third goal for the team in the 65th minute hoping to seal the win, however, K-Electric had other ideas.

The Karachi outfit scored three goals in a space of 15 minutes to make the scoreline read 3-3 and send the match into extra-time.

Both teams failed to find the winner in extra-time and needed penalties to separate them.

“It was a tough, but a great match,” SNGPL coach Khalid Khan told The Express Tribune. “We’ve qualified for the quarter-finals of a major event for the first time, so it is extremely special and morale-boosting. K-Electric did well to equalise after being 3-0 down. However, I’m glad my players handled that kind of pressure really well.”

SNGPL will play WAPDA in the quarter-finals and Khalid believes his side have the advantage going into the encounter.

“We’ve got nothing to lose; we’ve just defeated one of the biggest teams and we are happy. I feel it will be tough for WAPDA to get past us,” said Khalid.

Meanwhile, K-Electric captain-cum-coach Essa Khan praised SNGPL and admitted that his team made more mistakes than usual.

“We missed a lot of opportunities, and then missed the penalty. Of course it was a tough match and SNGPL showed great spirit,” said Essa. “But now we need to look ahead. There is a quarter-final to win against Karachi United; it is going to be a challenging match.”