Multan, 8 October 2018: The 12th Pakistan Premier Football League 2018 – Multan leg went back to usual two matches a day lineup last night 7 October at the Qilla Kohna Qasim Bagh Stadium.
A serious lack of goals continued at 8:30 PM kick off when Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) had a frustrating goalless game against Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA). Both sides struggled to break each other down, with SNGPL enjoying most possession but failing to avail whatever chance they created.
With every side being forced to play at neutral venues this whole PPFL courtesy PFF, no team has consistently shown the form they need to thrill the crowds with goals and get precious points. As the Qasim Bagh Stadium pitch continues to deteriorate with bumpy surface, dust, and not enough soft grass, its no surprise teams have struggled to impress.
The 10:45pm kick off saw WAPDA take on Karachi Port Trust (KPT). Known as the ‘Arsenal of Karachi’ by its fans for their short passing game in past and having many players from Lyari, KPT has struggled to impress against more physically imposing teams from rest of the country.
It was no surprise that WAPDA dominated the whole 90 minutes and pressed for goals.It was only due to a combination of poor finishing, desperate defending, and heroics of KPT goalkeeper Sanaullah that meant the game remained goalless most of the match.
But after 75 minutes, young WAPDA midfielder Muhammad Khurram found himself with space around 25-30 yards out and his long range effort finally beat Sanaullah to make it 1-0 to the Lahore side.
To their credit, WAPDA kept pushing for more goals to increase their lead to no avail with KPT desperately trying to play counterattacks to reduce deficit. KPT players seemed unhappy with some of the refereeing decisions made, especially an offside call in the final minutes stopping them from having a chance to comeback.
Eventually the game finished 1-0 in favour of WAPDA who know currently top the PPFL 2018 table with 7 points from 4 games though that may chance when other teams get favourable results their way. SNGPL also remain in top half of the table with 6 points from as many games.
Tonight, Muslim FC Chaman face SSGC while PAF take on Afghan FC Chaman.
The News, 9 October 2018 adds:
KARACHI: Former champions WAPDA jumped to the top spot when they recorded a narrow 1-0 win over Karachi Port Trust (KPT) in their outing of the 12th Pakistan Premier Football League at the Qasim Bagh Stadium in Multan on Sunday night.
At the jam-packed venue, WAPDA hit the winner through their rookie striker Mohammad Khurram in the 72nd minute. Khurram is an under-19 player from Khanewal. “We fully dominated the show,” WAPDA assistant coach Tanvir Ahmed told ‘The News’ on Monday.
WAPDA now have seven points from four matches. “We played three matches against Army, PAF and Afghan FC who were very tough teams. It was not difficult to play against weak KPT who did not even get a corner,” Tanvir said.
He was quick to add, however, that his frontline missed several goal chances. “We could have scored more goals but the frontline did not click. It’s a problem for every team in this event being held under floodlights,” he said.
Tanvir wants his side to be in top four in the initial two rounds.“We want to see our team keep itself in top four till the end of the second round in Lahore. Then we will plan for the third and final round to be held in Karachi,” he added.
Tanvir said they had only one player in the playing XI from the squad which played in the last league held in 2014.KPT are struggling with just one point after playing three matches.The match between Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) ended in a goalless draw at the same venue.
Both sides played aggressively but failed to strike.SNGPL clung to the second position with six points. PCAA have three points from four matches. There are 16 teams in the event. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) are yet to report. They have been asked to report for the Lahore round, or they will be scratched from the event. PIA are facing financial issues.