![HEC, ASM crash out of Challenge Cup [Dawn]](https://footballpakistan.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Saif-Textiles-NFCC-2023.jpeg "HEC, ASM crash out of Challenge Cup [Dawn]")
KARACHI: Higher Education Commission and Ashraf Sugar Mills fell to stunning losses against the bottom teams of their respective groups on Sunday and missed their chances of reaching the next round of the National Challenge Cup.
HEC suffered a 1-0 loss to Saif Textiles in Lahore courtesy Asad’s lone strike with the loss denying them a chance to overhaul second-placed SA Gardens in Group ‘E’.
ASM’s bid to pip Pakistan Railways to second spot in Group ‘C’ came unstuck after a 2-0 reverse to Hussain Home Textiles in Bahawalpur with goals from Rehman Akhter and Asad Ali.
Elsewhere in the final round of matches, already-qualified Pakistan Army and Otto Cranes finished with wins but Pakistan Air Force crashed to a defeat.
Qadeer’s hat-trick helped Group ‘F’ runners up Army beat Pakistan Ordnance Factories 3-0 in Wah Cantt while Haider Ali scored four times as Group ‘C’ winners Otto Cranes cruised past Klash Mills 4-1 in Faisalabad. Shahraiz scored Klash Mills sole consolation goal.
Group ‘G’ winners PAF, though, couldn’t end on a high as they lost 2-1 to Mamsons Builders. Taha and Adeel scored for Mamsons while Samad scored PAF’s only goal.