Under UEFA-Certified coach Adeel Rizki (Karachi United FC), Defence Centre humiliated North Karachi centre coached by SSGC captain Shahnawaz Shani 5-0 at Korangi Baloch Stadium in Sharafi Goth. The star of the game was Defence striker Omer Akbar who scored the first hat trick of the tournament in superb fashion.
The game started with Defence Centre dictating the play from the start. In 16th minute, central midfielder Zaid Yahya gave Defence the lead with a header past North Karachi goalkeeper Muhammad Fahad from a right wing cross by striker Hamza Bukhari.
The game was 1-0 in favour of Defence at half time. In second half, the flood gates truly opened for Adeel Rizki’s side as Hamza Bukhari made it 2-0 in 37th minute. During that time, North Karachi goalie Fahad suffered an injury and was forced to quit the game. This situation was fully exploited by Omer Akbar as he scored 3 goals in 10 minutes (41st, 45th, 51st) to give Defence an unassailable 5-0 lead.
Defence centre’s Benedict Plant, skipper Changez Shafi, Rafay Mehmood, and goalkeeper Rehan Alauddin showed good performance. For North Karachi, despite the loss, their players Muhammad Younas, Muhammad Naqi, Ali Raza, Changez Khan, and
Mehdi Raza also impressed. Referee was Babar Khan while match commissioner was Abdul Karim (Chairman Referees and Member Central Zone).
League administrator Riaz Ahmed gave Defence striker Omer Akbar the man of the match award after a unanimous decision from both coaches as well as Karachi United Foundation’s head coach Arshad Jamal.
