Army, Asia Ghee Mills reach Challenge Cup last 16

KARACHI: Army and Asia Ghee Mills qualified for the round of 16 when they recorded victories in their respective matches in the PFF National Challenge Cup 2023 on Sunday.

At the Army Stadium, Rawalpindi, Army downed Muslim Hands 3-0 in their Group F outing, their third victory in four matches, which enabled them to qualify for the pre-quarter-finals with ten points.

KRL had already qualified for the knock-out stage from this group.

Mohammad Afzaal put Army ahead in the 45th minute. Sarfaraz doubled their lead in the 65th minute. Abrar struck in the 78th minute which completed their 3-0 win.

This was the fourth straight loss for Muslim Hands, an England-based NGO which also has a branch in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, in Group C, Asia Ghee Mills notched their fourth straight win when they defeated Hussain Textile 4-2.

Amir Sohail gave Asia Ghee Mills lead in the 13th minute. However, two minutes later, Mohammad Muawiya brought parity for Hussain Textile.

In the 30th minute, Syed Moosa Qasim put Hussain Textile 2-1 ahead. However, Syed Haider Ali struck for Asia Ghee Mills in the 51st minute to level the score.

Mohammad Hassan Junior then hit a double, scoring in the 55th and 89th minutes, to seal a victory for Asia Ghee Mills.

Asia Ghee Mills’ Mirajuddin was sent off with a red card in the 28th minute. Hussain Textile’s Hammad Reza was shown red card in the 80th minute. Asia Ghee Mills stretched their points to 12 at the summit.

In a Group D game, at the Agriculture University Ground, Faisalabad, Otto Cranes stayed alive when they pulled off their second win, beating SA Farms 2-0. Hussain and Sagar hit one goal apiece for the winners.

In a Group E show, at the Fame Football Ground, Model Town, Lahore, SA Gardens overwhelmed Saif Textile 3-1, their second win which stretched their points to eight at the top of the table.

Mohammad Umair provided lead to SA Garden in the 32nd minute. Murtaza doubled their lead in the 42nd minute. Abdul Kalam reduced the deficit for Saif Textile by landing a fine goal in the 45th minute.

In the second half, SA Garden kept pressure up and were able to hit one more through Samnan Junior in the 86th minute.

In a Group B outing, at the Yazdan Khan Model High School, Quetta, Milo Shaheed Trust pulled off their first win when they defeated Hazara Coal Company 2-1.

Hazara Coal took the lead when Jamshed Ahmad struck for them in the 79th minute. Saleem then hit a double, in the 83rd and 86th minutes, for Milo.

Zeeshan Ali of Hazara Coal was sent off in the 74th minute.

In a Group G show, at the Tehmas Khan Stadium, Peshawar, BHCC registered their first win when they overpowered Mamsons Builders 2-1. Waleed Khan put Mamsons Builders ahead in the 42nd minute. Rehmatullah levelled the score for BHCC in the 53rd minute. Danish then provided the decisive lead to BHCC in the 76th minute.