HBL suffer first PPFL defeat
HBL suffered their first defeat in the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) as defending champions Wapda won 2-0 in Karachi.
In the other matches, KRL crushed PIA 4-0, and Pakistan Army lost to newcomers Muslim FC 1-0 in Quetta as Haji Mohammad scored the lone goal in the 56th minute.
Wapda gained the lead early in the match with Zeeshan Jawaid scoring in the 16th minute to put his team ahead. The four-time PPFL champions continued to dominate as Zulfiqar Ali Shah increased the lead and sealed the result with a goal in the 82nd minute.
Wapda’s coach Sharafat Ali said that the team had done well in the second-leg after having a poor start to the tournament.
“We had a very disappointing start this year,” Ali told The Express Tribune. “But I feel that Karachi will be lucky for us. Our matches in Quetta were tough. It took us a little time to adjust. The pitches were very uneven and we lost the first few matches.
“But Karachi is much better. We played well against HBL who hadn’t lost a match till now. This win has really boosted our confidence.”
Meanwhile, KRL’s Samar Ishaq put his team ahead in the 16th minute. Hasnain Abbas made the scoreline 2-0 with a 50th-minute strike before Kaleemullah scored twice in seven minutes to seal the result.
KRL head the points table with 15 and are yet to taste defeat in the tournament.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ