SSGC, ASM reach PFF Cup final round [Dawn]

KARACHI: Despite being reduced to 10 men, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) reached the final round of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Cup, taking Ashraf Sugar Mills (ASM) along with them after they edged past Pakistan Steel 2-1 here on Saturday at the KMC Stadium.

Group ‘I’ had been reduced to three teams following the withdrawal of Chaman’s Social Welfare Team (SWT) and having been thrashed 6-0 by ASM on Thursday, Pakistan Steel needed victory at the KMC Stadium to stay in contention.

But despite taking the lead through Nasir Ahmed’s 15th-minute strike, Pakistan Steel failed in their quest to reach the final round of the event which begins from February 9 in Lahore.

SSGC, though, made it through when Saeed Ahmed levelled matters in the 25th and despite being at a man’s disadvantage when Zahid Nadeem was sent off in the 51st, Abdus Salam’s winner took them through.

While matches of groups ‘I’ and ‘II’ in Karachi have gone on without any trouble, inclement weather has led to a fixture pile-up and rescheduling in Group ‘III’ and ‘IV’ which are being played in Lahore and Islamabad, respectively.

A bad pitch at the FAME Football Club ground in Lahore saw the game between Pakistan Railways v Insaf Afghan Goods Trading Company (IAGTC) being postponed and will be played on Sunday.

A water-logged pitch at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad also saw the game between Pakistan Television (PTV) and Bhatti United being moved to Sunday.

Friday’s Group IV match in the capital between Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) will also be played on Sunday.

Sunday’s fixtures:

Group ‘II’: Karachi United v Sindh Government Press; Pakistan Police v Gwadar Port Authority.

Group ‘III’: Railways v Insaf Afghan Goods Trading Company.

Group ‘IV’: Pakistan Television v Bhatti United; Higher Education Commissionv Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited.

Published in Dawn, 31 January 2016