KARACHI: Former champions Pakistan Army joined Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) on the top of points table after defeating Habib Bank Limited (HBL) 1-0 in the Pakistan Premier Football League on Saturday. Chaman’s Muslim FC beat PMC Athletico 1-0 to record their sixth victory.
At the Army Stadium in Rawalpindi, Mubashir Ahmad scored the lone goal of the encounter to help the soldiers prevail over HBL.
Army and KRL have 31 points each, but the latter have an edge thanks to their better goal average.
HBL coach Yousuf Khan blamed his misfiring frontline for the defeat. “We missed a few easy chances in the first half which harmed us later as we conceded the goal in the dying moments,” Yousuf told ‘The News’.
“Then moments before the final whistle our striker Zakir Lashari had only to beat the goalkeeper Jaffar Khan but instead of steering it past the gloveman he hit it straight to him and that was disappointing,” added Yousuf, who also serves as manager of his team. “But I think conceding just a single goal against a team like Army at their own backyard is not a bad effort at all. And we were also missing Aadil and Abdullah due to suspension. Besides, we have lost our key defender Ghazanfar due to a broken leg,” the official remarked.
The loss left HBL at 15 points from 16 games. They will now face ZTBL in the last game of their Punjab round at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on October 23.
Meanwhile, at the PMC Ground in Faisalabad, Muslim FC earned a much needed win against hosts PMC Athletico, who took their points to 24 from 16 meetings.
Saeed Ahmed netted the winner in the 86th minute when his shot from inside the area went into the net after deflecting off a defender.
Muslim FC coach Dawood Khan was happy with the outcome. “I think it was a well-deserved victory as it is always difficult to win here,” Dawood said. “We missed a couple of chances as our strikers’ drives hit the post. In the final moments, PMC also got a chance but their forward’s shot crashed the post and we were lucky to maintain the lead,” Dawood revealed.
The loss left PMC struggling at 11 points from 15 appearances.
At the Railways Stadium in Lahore, four-time former champions WAPDA once again failed to come out of their poor patch as they were surprised by Chaman’s Afghan FC with a 1-1 draw.
WAPDA, who have been lackluster since the removal of coach Khalid Butt due to intense politics within the department, went ahead through Zulfiqar Ali Shah in the fifth minute. However, Afghan FC brought the parity just four minutes later through their key forward Jadeed Khan Pathan.
The draw moved WAPDA to 22 points from 15 outings, while Afghan FC advanced to 11 points from 13 meetings.
Today’s fixtures: KRL v Baloch FC (Railways Stadium, Lahore), Wohaib FC v Navy (UMT Ground, Lahore), PAF v KPT (PAF Complex, Peshawar), ZTBL v PIA (Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad).
Source: The News
9th Pakistan Premier Football League-2012(9th PPFL-2012)
Match Results (Saturday, October 20, 2012)
Match # 115
WAPDA Vs Afghan FC 1:1 Draw @ 15:00 PST @ Railway Football Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan
Scorer WAPDA: Zulfiqar Shah (FW) 1 Goal @ 5 Mnt.
Scorer Afghan FC: Jadeed Khan Pathan (FW) 1 Goal @ 9 Mnt.
Yellow Card Afghan FC: Himmat Khan (FW) @ 75 Mnt.
Best Player: Jadeed Khan Pathan (FW) of Afghan FC.
Best Scorer: Zulifqar Shah (MF) of WAPDA
Match Commissioner: Rauf Bari Cell # 0300-4944603
Match # 116
Muslim FC beat PMC Athletico 1:0 @ 15:00 PST @ PMC Football Ground, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Scorer Muslim FC: Saeed Ahmed (FW) 1 Goal @ 86 Mnt.
Yellow Card: Zabih Ullah (FW) @ 38 Mnt.
Best Player: Waqas Ahmed (DF) of PMC Athletico
Best Scorer: Saeed Ahmed (FW) of Muslim FC
Match Commissioner: Mian Bari Cell # 0300-7890300
Match # 117
Army FC beat HBL 1:0 @ 15:00 PST @ Army Stadium, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Scorer Army: Mubashar Ahmed (MF) 1 Goal @ 6 Mnt.
Best Player: Dilwar Khan (Goal Keeper) of HBL
Best Scorer: Mubashar Ahmed (MF) of Army
Match Commissioner
Tomorrow 9th PPFL-2012 Fixture :( Sunday, October 21, 2012)
Match # 118 KRL Vs Baloch FC @ 15:00 PST @ Railway Football Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan
Match # 119 Wohaib FC Vs Navy @ 15:00 PST @ UMT Football Ground, Lahore, Pakistan
Match # 120 PAF Vs KPT @ 15:00 PST @ PAF Complex Ground, Peshawar, Pakistan
Match # 121 ZTBL Vs PIA @ 15:00 PST @ Jinnah Football Stadium, Islamabad, Pakistan
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | D | P | Last 5 matches | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
KRL | 13 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 8 | +20 | 31 | W W W W W | |
| 2 | |
Pakistan Army | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 31 | W D W W W | |
| 3 |  |
Karachi Electric | 15 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 27 | 10 | +17 | 30 | W L W D D | |
| 4 | |
National Bank | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 19 | 8 | +11 | 29 | D W W L W | |
| 5 | |
Pakistan Air Force | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 9 | +16 | 27 | W W W W W | |
| 6 | Muslim | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 19 | -1 | 24 | W W L L W | ||
| 7 | WAPDA | 15 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 23 | 16 | +7 | 22 | D W D L D | ||
| 8 | |
Pakistan Navy | 15 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 13 | +0 | 18 | W D D L L | |
| 9 | |
Pakistan Airlines | 13 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 9 | +0 | 16 | L D D D D | |
| 10 | |
Karachi Port Trust | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 21 | -8 | 15 | L L L D W | |
| 11 | Habib Bank | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 22 | -14 | 15 | L L W L W | ||
| 12 | PMC Athletico | 14 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 13 | -2 | 11 | L L D D W | ||
| 13 | |
Afghan | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 18 | -9 | 11 | D L W L W | |
| 14 | |
ZTBL | 14 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 19 | -10 | 11 | L W L D L | |
| 15 | Baloch | 14 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 26 | -22 | 8 | L D L L L | ||
| 16 | Wohaib | 13 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 23 | -18 | 4 | L L L L D |