KARACHI: Karachi Port Trust (KPT) pulled off a 1-0 victory against Pakistan Air Force (PAF) while holders WAPDA were stunned by debutants Muslim FC and former champions KRL conquered Police 1-0 in matches of the Pakistan Premier Football League held at different venues on Thursday.
Here at the KPT Football Stadium, hosts KPT, who were not impressive in their previous games, showed some aggression against PAF, beating them 1-0 on the day which failed to attract crowd due to fragile security environment in the city. After a composed few minutes play, winger Naved Ahmed provided the decisive lead to KPT in the 23rd minute with a heavy left footer which left the oppositionís goalie unmoved.
After the breather, KPT tried to put pressure on their rivals with incisive rallies from both wings but were unable to add to their tally due to poor finishing from their frontline.
Meanwhile, at the Sadiq Shaheed Stadium in Quetta, defending champions WAPDA were continued their unimpressive run as they were again held to a goalless draw, this time by minnows Police. It was a tough game with both sides offering enough resistance to each other.
However, WAPDA, which are short of players due to injury, got a few open net chances in the last few minutes but failed to capitalize on them. Similarly, in other game, striker Kaleemulah, also played World Cup qualifiers against Bangladesh recently, landed a super goal in the 13th minute to guide KRL beat Muslim FC 1-0 to earn three more crucial points. Police, playing their first season, also showed some spark with their frontline putting their rivals under great pressure with forceful rallies. The victory helped leaders KRL stretch their points to 13 from five games. National Bank and PIA are sharing second spot on the leader-board.