LAHORE – Gilgit-born Muhammad Rasool hit a sparkling hat-trick as KESC beat Railways 4-3 in a thrilling encounter at the Agriculture ground. The win gave KESC a place in the quarter-finals of the 21st NBP Football Cup. Army also entered the last eight with a 1-0 win over hosts PMC Athletico Club. Meanwhile, a depleted WAPDA team consolidated their chances of entering the knock-out phase with a sensational 2-1 win over NBP, while Navy also collected their first point, beating little known Ashraf Sugar Mills of Bahawalpur 1-0.
The Group D match between KESC and Railways produced seven goals and turned out to be the most exciting match of the event. Muhammad Rasool became the first hat-trick scorer in the event. Rasool struck his goals in the 10th, 71st and 77th minute, while young Muhammad Riaz stepped in with the fourth goal in the 55th minute. With Imran pulling one back for the Railways in the 67th minute, KESC were 4-1 ahead after 77 minutes but Railways put up brave effort in last 13 minutes to make it 4-3. Wasim Abbas and Muhammad Usman scored for Railways in the 80th and 86th minute, respectively.
Army kept their slender 1-0 lead until the final whistle. Faisalabad-born striker Muhammad Ikram stuck the only goal of the match in the 45th minute.WAPDA, fielding a second string team as their main players are busy in the 7th AFC President’s Cup, recorded a 2-1 win at Bohranwali Ground over NBP in Group A. WAPDA struck once in each session to keep their hopes alive for last eight slot. Striker Shahid Baloch had given WAPDA a fourth-minute lead and they doubled the margin in the 54th minute through Ayaz Baloch. The bankers earned a consolation goal through international right full Misbah Ul Hassan in the second minute of injury time.
In same group, Navy got their first win when beat Ashraf Sugar Mills at PMC Ground. Nimble-footed winger Asif Bakhsh was their hero again with a lone goal in the closing minutes of the first half. Meanwhile, PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat has announced the rules reagarding the Fair Play trophy for the tournament. “All players and coaches will be expected to demonstrate the highest standard of sportsmanship throughout the ongoing 21st NBP Football Cup. Any player given a red card, or any coach ejected from a game will not be permitted to participate in the remainder of the game in progress, and will not be able to participate in at least the team’s next scheduled match.
The Match Commissioner report will be used whenever possible to help determine further penalty. These judgments will be made after reviewing the severity of the offense for which the red card was given and the decision will be final,” said a statement by Faisal. He announced that the Fair Play Regulation will be enforced in the event to decide who gets the Fair Play trophy plus Rs 25,000 on the final day of the competition.
Today’s (19 April) Fixtures: KPT v PIA (Bohranwali Ground 4 PM), Pak Television v Police (PMC Ground 4 PM), Pak Air Force v KRL (Bohranwali Ground 2 PM), ZTBL v Habib Bank (PMC Ground 2 PM).
