National Football Challenge Cup: PAF, WAPDA progress to quarter-finals

Teams secured the top two positions in Group C to book berth in last-eight.

KARACHI: Goals from Muhammad Mujahid and Mansoor Khan ensured PAF’s 2-0 win over tournament favourites Wapda in the 2015 National Football Challenge Cup at the Model Town Football Ground in Lahore on Wednesday to finish at the top of Group C and secure their place in the quarter-final.

PAF had dominated the entire tournament, scoring six goals and only conceding one and coach Arshad Khan was proud of his team’s achievements.

“It’s amazing to see us defeat the favourites,” Arshad told The Express Tribune. “Wapda were a strong side, but I’m glad my players outplayed them throughout the match.”

Wapda, on the other hand, were lucky to scrape through into the quarter-finals after tying on points and goal difference with HBL. They had defeated HBL 3-0 in their previous encounter and thus qualified for the last-eight on the basis of a superior head-to-head record.

“We thought our campaign was over; in fact, in the team meeting, I was just telling my players not to feel bad about the group-stage exit,” said Wapda coach Tanveer Ahmed. “We were just surprised and a little heart-broken too, because we never thought that HBL would be able to score 5 goals against Railways.”

However, Tanveer said that a late phone call from the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) confirmed that Wapda had qualified for the quarter-finals on the basis of PFF’s head-to-head rules.

The PFF Director Tournaments and Development Pervez Saeed Mir said that since HBL and Wapda both had six points each and their goal difference was the same, they decided on the result of the head-to-head match between the two teams in the group matches.

“Wapda were declared as the second-placed team from Group C because they won their group match against HBL 3-0,” said Mir. “Before any tournament, a rule book is issued addressing all the possible situations that may arise in the tournament and since both teams were tied on points and goal-difference, we had to see their head-to-head result.”

Meanwhile in the other match, Army defeated KPT 2-1 at the Railways Football Ground in the Group B match as Ansar Abbas scored the opening goal in the 29th minute, whereas KPT’s Zahid Ahmed equalised from the spot a few minutes later. However, Masood Ahmed sealed the win for Army in the 89th minute.

In Thursday’s matches, K-Electric will play PIA and NBP will face KRL in the quarter-finals.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23^rd,  2015.

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