Lahore, 8 November: With Pir Mahal born Imran Hussain alias Lefty in outstanding form, Pakistan Army brushed aside PEL 2-1 in second leg at Model Town Football Ground, Lahore Monday. They consolidated their second spot in Pakistan Premier Football League with their 12th win, managing 39 points. In other match on Punjab soil, PMC crumbled under tense pressure of KRL and went down 1-2 at PMC Football Ground, Faisalabad, Other three matches were played at Karachi. KESC thrashed Afghan FC 4-2 at Peoples Sports Complex, NBP were locked 2-2 by Baloch FC, Nushki at CDGK Stadium, KPT snatched an own goal to beat SSGC 2-1 at KPT Football Stadium.
Born at Pir Mahal, Imran had dominated in the Army front line and missed the chance of hat-trick in the second half with two sitters in the 62nd and 81st minute. The man who pocketed MVP award in 2007 edition as left full back, infact got two lovely goals against PEL with first half header in the 20th minute and seconds session left footed drive in the 56th minute. He raised his tally to seven to equal his namesake and skipper Imran Hussai. PEL infact failed to get any points from their two games against Army, losing the first leg too by 1-2 on 30 October at Rawalpindi.
PEL earned 78th minute consolation goal through their famous penalty taker Muhammad Rashid, dropped from Pakistan Asian Games squad at eleventh hour, who drove the ball past keeper SAG Gold Medallist keeper Mehmood Khan’s left hand from the penalty mark after PEL were awarded penalty-kick by Referee Jehangir Khan.
Under strength KRL did well to beat tough PMC 2-1. Two Chitral-born players were instrumental in their win with Syed Ghazi Khan (41st min) and Zia us Islam ( 74th min) were their scorers. PMC replied honor-saving goal through striker Kamran Anwar in the 76th minute.
Ace Pakistani striker Muhammad Rasool, top scorer in 2008 PPFL as well as 2010 SFL, slammed hat-trick in KESC’s 4-2 resounding win over Afghan FC. Rasool completed eighth hat trick of the show. Earlier on 1 November
Pakistani and KESC skipper Essa, SAG Gold Medallist in 2004, 2006, hammered his three goals past keeper Zaman Ghani (SSGC) to complete seventh hat-trick of the event. Arif Mehmood (WAPDA) struck first two against Sahiwal’s Young Blood at Rai Ali Nawaz Stadium, Sahiwal and Railway Stadium, Lahore on 21 and 24 Sep 2010, followed by international Zafar Majeed (KPT)’s heroic against NBP at Korangi Baloch Stadium, Karachi on 25 Sep 2010. The fourth hat-trick went into record book when Jadeed Khan (Afghan FC) did the feat against Young Blood at Rai Ali Nawaz Stadium on 14 Oct 2010. Ageing Super Sub Khuda Bakhsh (WAPDA) followed it with memorable three goals against KPT at Railway Stadium, Lahore on 22 Oct 2010 and three days later Nomi Martin Gill ( Navy) proved too smart for SSGC at Municipal Stadium , Rawalpindi.
Rasool smashed his three goals in the 16th, 18th and 90+1 minute, added by Abdul Ghafoor in the 80th minute. Afghan FC managed two goals through Aziz Ullah 56th min and Jadeed Khan 84th min.
Winger Zahid Ahmed was hero in KPT’s 2-1 win over lowly-rated SSGC. Zahid hit the match winner in the 57th minute after his effort neutralized Asim Faiz’s 44th minute strike. It was own goal by stopper Samad who failed to understand flight of the ball and turned it past his own keeper Zaman Ghani.
Stopper Yasir Sabir was also guilty of an own goal in NBP-Baloch FC 2-2 draw. NBP fired their two goals through midfielder Atiq Ullah in the 20th and 90+4 minute while Baloch FC saw Abdul Nabi and an own goal by Yasir Sabir saved the day for them.
From the desk of :
PPFL Match Commissioner Mian Rizwan Ali (0300-9450683)
Pakistan Premier Football League
……………..…SUMMARISED RESULT
Monday 8 November Fixture
Pakistan Army 2 ( Imran Hussain 2 –20,56)
PEL 1 ( Muhammad Rashid 78)
Model Town Football Ground, Lahore.
PMC Athletico FC 1 (Kamran Anwar76)
KRL 2 (Ghazi Khan 41, Zia Us Salam 74)
(PMC Football Ground, Faisalabad
KESC 4 (Muhammad Rasool 3- 16,18 , 90+1, Abdul Ghafoor 80)
Afghan FC 2 (Aziz Ullah 56, Jadeed Khan 84)
at Peoples Sports Complex, Karachi
NBP 2 ( Atiq Ullah 2 –20,90+3)
Baloch FC, Nushki 2 (Abdul Nabi 50, OG- Yasir Sabir 54)
at CDGK Stadium, Karachi
KPT 2 (OG – Samad 46, Zahid Ahmed 57)
SSGC 1 (Asim Faiz 44)
At KPT Football Stadium Karachi
Tuesday 9 November Fixture:
WAPDA v Navy (Railway Stadium, Lahore 2.30 PM)
Young Blood FC v PAF (Rai Ali Nawaz Stadium, Sahiwal 2.30 PM)
Pakistan Premier Football League
………POINTS TABLE after 147 Encounters
Teams P W D L GF GA Pts
WAPDA 19 16 2 1 48 12 50
Army 19 12 3 4 27 12 39
KRL 19 9 6 4 21 13 33
KESC 18 9 4 5 34 21 31
PIA 17 8 6 3 23 14 30
KPT 17 9 3 5 32 28 30
Navy 19 7 7 5 23 18 28
Afghan FC 19 8 4 7 26 22 28
PAF 19 8 4 7 17 16 28
PEL 19 8 3 8 27 28 27
Baloch FC 19 5 8 6 20 23 23
NBP 17 4 7 6 19 27 19
PMC 19 3 5 11 13 26 14
Young Blood 19 2 4 13 13 38 10
SSGC 18 2 2 14 17 46 8
HBL 17 1 4 12 8 24 7
Matches to come : 93