Punjab, Sindh enter last four

LAHORE: Sindh and Punjab earned slots in semi-finals of Second National Under-14 Festival of Football at Lahore’s Punjab Stadium, Ferozpur Road on Frida (today).

Sindh managed 2-0 win over Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) while Punjab surprised Balochistan with same identical margin of 2-0.

On Friday, holders Sindh proved their worth as titlist by beating AJK 2-0 in Group-A. It was Sindh’s second win after 4-2 win over Lahore’s DPS School. Sindh won Group-A with six points while DPS finished second. AJK finished at the bottom.

Sindh dominated the proceedings and struck both their goals through skipper and striker Imran Abdullah in the first half. He scored the first in the 9th minute off corner and added other a minute from recess following a solo spurt. The second half remained barren. The match was supervised by Shamas Pervez, supported on the line by Waheed Murad and Younis Jr. Rauf Bari was fourth official.

Muhammad Bilal-led Punjab brushed aside favorites Balochistan 2-0 in tense, absorbing tussle to stroll into last four. Requiring a clear-cut win for semi-final berth, Punjab went all out in quest of win and managed to bang the net twice in the first half.

Their goal getters were Nauman (14th minute) and Usman Manzoor (20th minute). The match was supervised by Abdul Karim, supported on the line by Muhammad Sarwar and Muhammad Amin. Muhammad Zahid was fourth official.

Earlier, NWFP opened their campaign in Group-C with 4-0 win over Lahore’s Wohaib Butt Memorial Club. Wohaib managed to hold the strong team in second half conceding only a goal but the match was already decided when NWFP were 3-0 up at interval. Waheed Hameed opened the scoring in the 7th minute while Rahim Ali doubled the margin in the 20th minute.

Amir Sadiq put the issue beyond grasp of Lahore’s outfit in the 29th minute. Rahim struck his second in the 33rd minute. The match was supervised by Abdul Karim, supported on the line by Ulfat Khan and Abdul Samad. Muhammad Zahid was fourth official.

The Group-D affair between Islamabad and Lahore Grammar School (LGS) turned out to be a one-way traffic. With the help of Muhammad Osman’s hat-trick, Islamabad turned the tide after 0-0 first half and won the match 6-0. Tabish Mehmood broke the ice in the 33rd minute. Osman made it 2-0 in the 38th minute followed by another two goals in the 44th and 46th minute. Irfan Haider completed the tally with two late goals in the 52nd and 58th minute. The match was supervised by Muhammad Sarwar, supported on the line by Ulfat Khan and Shamas Pervez. Younus Jr. was fourth official.

Pakistan Railway’s Chaudhry Muhammad Asghar acted as Match Commissioner while Muhammad Yunus Kiani performed the duty of Referee Inspector during four matches. The semi-finals will be played at 2 PM and 3.30 PM on 5 February, followed by 6th February final.