PIA win Nishan-e-Haider hockey tournament

Star-studded outfit tames WAPDA by two goals in event decider.

KARACHI:

PIA defeated Wapda 3-1 in the final to win the 9th Nishan-e-Haider hockey tournament played at the Mutiullah Hockey Stadium in Bahawalpur on Thursday.

The final started at a fast pace in front of a large crowd. Both teams, comprising Olympians and internationals, demonstrated their skills, making aggressive moves and stick work.

Wapda succeeded in drawing first blood when forward Tasawar Abbas got control of the ball from his half and sprinted into the PIA’s, where he gave a clever pass to Usman Bhutta, whose strong hit was deflected by Rana Umair into the goal post in the 21st minute of the match.

However, PIA bounced back with vengeance as Aamir Shahzad and Shafqat Rasool exchanged short passes between them and entered into the Wapda ‘D’ where they earned two back-to-back penalty corners. Full-back Ihsanullah succeeded in converting the second in the 23rd minute.

The final turned into a one-sided affair from here, as PIA overwhelmed the overly defensive opponents. The winners scored their second goal in the 45th minute, when moves between Shafqat Rasool, Waqas Akbar and Inyatullah earned their team a penalty corner and Ihsanullah dragged the ball into the goal to give his team a 2-1 lead.

In the 64th minute, Shafqat Rasool took control of the ball from his team’s own half and reached the striking area through clever dribbling where Inyatullah’s timely deflection earned the third goal for PIA, sealing the victory for the side.

Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee and Sports Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada was the chief guest at the final, who gave away the winning trophy to PIA’s captain Yasir Islam.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd,  2014.

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