NBP edge misfiring KRL

KARACHI: Misbah-ul-Hassan’s solitary goal guided National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to a 1-0 victory over former champions Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in their match of the 11th Pakistan Premier Football League here at Korangi Baloch Football Ground in Sharafi Goth on Friday.
Experienced Misbah struck in the 36th minute to provide the eighth win to the bankers in the season.
NBP’s coach Nasir Ismail said his side did a good job. “I am satisfied with the way my junior lot played against KRL,” Nasir told ‘The News’.
“I fielded only four seniors, goalkeeper Mohammad Omar, Misbah, Javed Hamza and Faisal Iqbal, and their combination with the colts clicked,” he said.
“I had told you that our start was not good but the end would be fine and we are showing it these days by winning matches,” Nasir said.
He said that KRL also got a couple of chances but missed them.
He said if his team beat Army in their last match they would finish sixth. Surpassing KRL and Muslim FC would not be a little achievement for his charges, the coach said.
The victory took NBP to join KRL at 30 points. Both are yet to play one match each but NBP (+5) have one goal advantage over KRL (+4).
KRL’s manager Ayaz Butt said their bad patch continued. “Sometimes when you get down and nothing helps you so we are also in that situation,” Butt said.
“It was not that NBP had dominated the game. They got one chance and converted that while we got two chances but squandered them,” Butt said.
“If we are able to learn from this season we could fight back. Otherwise, we could face even worse situation in the next season,” Butt added.
“We have planned to build the side afresh. We plan to pick players from certain clubs in Pakistan which are not playing in the league. We will work on them to prepare for the future. Taking players from others would not be suitable,” Butt said.
Having lost their top five players before the season, KRL turned into a shadow of their past and are struggling to finish at the sixth spot.
Kaleemullah, Saddam Hussain and Mohammad Adil left them for Kyrgyzstan’s Dordoi Bishkek, while Sadullah and Bilawal-ur-Rehman defected to Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) just before the launch of the season.
KRL will face champions K-Electric in their last show here at KPT Sports Complex on January 21.
On Saturday (today), KPT will lock horns with Army here at Korangi Baloch Ground in Sharafi Goth. Army, who are in contention for the second spot, direly need a win on Saturday.