KPT find form to beat SSGC 3-2

KARACHI: Following poor performance in Multan and Lahore rounds, Karachi Port Trust (KPT) on Saturday made an impressive start at their own backyard when they defeated Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) 3-2 in their opening match of the last round of 12th Pakistan Premier Football League here at KPT Stadium.

This was the second win for KPT which also enabled them to take their points to seven from 11 matches.

“It was a tough game but I will praise my boys whose conversion today was good,” KPT coach Fareed Majeed told ‘The News’ after the match.

An SSGC official was not happy with the outcome.

“It looked like a war, not a football match,” the official told this correspondent. “One off-side goal was also given against us. The referee had signalled for an offside but the whole KPT bench started clamouring that put pressure on the referee who changed the decision within a minute,” the official said.

“We had to field an inexperienced goalie from Quetta in the absence of our frontline goalkeepers Ahsanullah and Saqib Hanif as both are with the Pakistan team. Today our keeper conceded two goals that hurt us,” the official said.

After a flurry of incisive rallies, KPT put themselves ahead through Mohammad Waseem’s solid strike in the 37th minute. At half time, KPT had 1-0 lead. In the second half, SSGC put pressure that paid dividends as Mohammad Tahir hit an equaliser in the 61st minute.

Six minutes later Zubair once again put KPT on front foot with a clinical finish. In the 71st minute, Mohammad Jalil added to the misery of SSGC that took KPT lead to 3-1. However, two minutes later Tahir hit his second goal to reduce SSGC’s deficit.

The loss left SSGC at 18 points from 11 meetings.

Meanwhile, the other outing of the day between Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Chaman’s Muslim FC ended in a 1-1 draw.

Abdul Samad provided a much-needed lead to PAF in the eighth minute. Jamil Ahmed then levelled it for Muslim FC in the 55th minute.

PAF moved to 25 points from 12 outings. Muslim FC stretched their points tally to ten from 11 appearances.