PIA pip Wapda to lift Gold Cup trophy

Airliners win 3-2 in exciting penalty shoot-out.

KARACHI:

The NBP Hockey Gold Cup came to an end in an exciting fashion as PIA and Wapda played out a high-scoring 5-5 draw in normal time, before the airliners sneaked past with a 3-2 win in the penalty shootout at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore.

Kashif Ali scored a total of four goals for PIA as the experienced outfit threatened to run away with the game through a 2-0 lead inside the first thirty minutes of the match. However, Shahbaz pulled one back for Wapda three minutes before half-time to give his team small hope of a comeback.

The second half was action packed as seven more goals were scored. Kashif netted another brace for PIA while Wapda stayed in the hunt by bouncing back every time, as Sohail Abbas also scored a goal for Wapda through his traditional drag flick.

The 70 minutes and extra time session ended in a 5-5 stalemate, after which PIA won the tie-breaker penalty shoot-out 3-2 to take the title.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2013.

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