PFF Challenge Cup: PAF, NBP register impressive wins

Deteriorating pitch conditions force organisers to hold matches in morning.

KARACHI:

PAF and NBP emerged as the top two teams in the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Challenge Cup 2013 Group D matches yesterday.

PAF thrashed hosts Bahawalpur 8-0 while NBP recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory against HEC at the Dring Stadium.

PAF began their second match of the tournament with confidence as Irfan Ali scored the opening goal in the 20th minute and doubled the lead after a minute. His fellow striker Arif Nawaz scored in the 36th as PAF led 3-0 at the interval.

PAF continued to dominate in the second-half as Ali’s third goal of the match came in the 48th minute. He went on to score his hat-trick in the 58th minute.

Meanwhile, Nawaz scored his second goal in the 78th minute and captain Muhammad Mujahid along with striker Rafiullah scored a goal apiece.

PAF’s match against Bahawalpur was originally scheduled to take place in the evening at the Swimming Pool Football Ground but due to the deteriorating pitch, the matches were shifted to the morning session.

According to the match commissioner Rauf Bari, the organisers shifted all the matches that were scheduled to take place at the Swimming Pool Football Ground to the Dring Stadium.



“We changed the venue because the pitch at the Swimming Pool Football Ground was deteriorating,” Bari told The Express Tribune. “We have now scheduled the matches in the morning. The temperature here was 25 degree centigrade in the morning compared to evening temperate which was 39 degrees.

All the teams are happy about our decision.”

In the other match, NBP beat HEC 2-0. NBP striker Faisal Iqbal scored the opening goal of the match in the 30th minute as Farooq Shah sealed the victory with his late goal in the 84th.

Elsewhere, Wapda defeated Pakistan Police 1-0 and KESC outplayed SSGC 2-1 in the late night Group B matches.

In today’s fixtures, Army will face PIA in their last Group C match while KESC will conclude the first round of matches when they take on Wapda.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2013.