HBL thrash PEL in football league

Atif scores three as Khayal, Ghazanfar register braces.

KARACHI: HBL resumed their Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) campaign with an emphatic 9-1 win over Pel at the Peoples Stadium with striker Mohammad Atif scoring the first hat-trick of the second-leg.

HBL dominated the match throughout, keeping their opponents under pressure with constant shots on target.

Khayal opened the scoring in the 11th minute before Atif made it 2-0 by scoring his first 14 minutes later. In the 20th minute, Ghazanfar Abbas consolidated HBL’s position before Zakir Lashari and Atif added salt to Pel’s wounds as HBL led 5-0 at the interval.

If Pel thought the break would do them good, it was not to be as Atif scored three minutes into the second
session and Khayal completed his brace in the 68th minute.

Abbas also scored his second goal in the 78 minute before Mohammad Bilal got into the act in the 84th minute.

Pel got some consolation when Mohammad Mehdi scored four minutes before the final whistle but still faced a humiliating 9-1 scoreline.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th,  2011.