Abbottabad set up final against Karachi

Hosts beat Balochistan 1-0 in national U16 event semis.

KARACHI: Hosts Abbottabad will face Karachi Youth Team in the National Under-16 Football Championship final today after prevailing over Balochistan 1-0 at the Kunj Stadium yesterday.

This will be the first time for Abbottabad juniors to play the final at the national championship.

The winners dominated the match with an opening goal from their striker Shahbaz Khan in the 29th minute and successfully defended the score down to the last minute in the first semi-final of the day.

“We’ve always heard that the best junior players come from Karachi, but I’m sure I’ll score against them in the final,” Shahbaz told The Express Tribune. “Football is very popular in Abbottabad. All my teammates are excited because this will be the first time that Abbottabad will play the final of this event.”

In contrast, Karachi faced stiff competition from Sindh in the second semi-final, winning the match 4-3 on penalty kicks.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2013.