KRL held by Navy in Challenge Cup

PAF defeated Police 2-1 at the KMC football ground in their group D match.

KARACHI: Pakistan Premier Football League champions KRL had a rough start in their National Challenge Cup campaign as they drew with Navy 1-1 at the KPT Stadium on Wednesday.

KRL are showing signs of struggle as they rebuild the team after the departure of key striker Kaleemullah and midfielder Muhammad Aadil to FC Dordoi, earlier this year.



They conceded a goal in the 29th minute of the match from a penalty. Asif Baksh scored the goal as Navy led 1-0 at the interval.

Rizwan Asif equalised for KRL in the 63rd minute to help his team collect one point from the Group A match.

“The penalty-kick was valid, our defender made a mistake,” KRL coach Tariq Lutfi told The Express Tribune. “Our team missed a lot of scoring opportunities, so we paid for our mistakes.

“We need to show more maturity in the next match. I’m glad that we got one point out of this encounter. It’s very important for us to find replacements for Kaleemullah and Aadil.

“The team is suffering due to their absence but we are trying different combinations. We want our players to click.”

On the other hand, Navy captain Muhammad Ramzan believes a draw against KRL boosted his team’s confidence.

“The morale of the team has improved after containing a strong opposition like KRL,” he said. “It’s a good start for us.”

Meanwhile in the Group D match, PAF defeated Police 2-1 at the KMC football ground.

Muhammad Mujahid scored in the 51st minute and sealed the win with another goal in the 77th minute of the match. Police replied with Hikmat Khan’s goal in the 85th minute.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2014.

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