NBP beat PCAA to open account

KARACHI: Maqbool’s first half goal enabled National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to pull off their maiden win as they beat Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) 1-0 in the 12th Pakistan Premier Football League at the floodlit Qasim Bagh Stadium in Multan on Monday night.

Having faced a 0-3 drubbing at the hands of former champions Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in their opener last week, NBP got onto the field with a different strategy and showed improved performance against PCAA to secure three crucial points.

Maqbool, who was part of Pakistan’s side in the Asian Games in Indonesia, hit the winner in the 33rd minute when he capitalised on a pass from Sher Ali. NBP coach Nasir Ismail was happy with his side’s victory. “It’s a welcome win for us. We needed this as we had lost badly our first game,” he told ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

“After our first loss, we made several changes and worked hard in the last few days over our weak points. Last night we started with a defensive mood as we could not afford taking risk and played with a different strategy that helped us open our account,” said Nasir, a former Pakistan coach.

He was quick to add that his side missed a few open net chances. “The pitch is not that good and is creating problems for the players,” Nasir said. In the other outing of the night, Navy came from behind to hold Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) to a 1-1 draw to secure one point.

Sada Bahar put SNGPL ahead in the 40th minute. Mohammad Amin brought an equaliser in the 53rd minute through a superb hit from the spot that beat the opponents’ glove-man.