WAPDA, SA Gardens reach semis

LAHORE: WAPDA and SA Gardens notched identical 1-0 victories over their respective oppositions PAF and WSTC to qualify for the semi-finals of the National Football Challenge Cup on Wednesday.

In the first quarter-final of the day at the Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad SA Gardens downed WSTC 1-0 with Umar netting the lone goal in the 38th minute. WSTC could not break through SA Gardens’ defenses despite a fierce battle. SA Gardens head coach Zafar Iqbal was happy with the way his charges qualified for the pre-final. “I am very happy that my team qualified for the next stage,” he said.

“I would like to thank PFF Normalisation Committee for holding such events and I hope PFF will continue to organise such events in a professional and befitting manner,” he said. In the second quarter-final, WAPDA edged past PAF 1-0. Shayek Dost, international striker, landed the solitary goal in the ninth minute. WAPDA’s head coach Muhammad Habib, expressed his team’s eagerness for the competition. “We had been waiting for the competitions for so long,” he said. “Both the teams played very well and we will continue to carry this momentum in semi-finals.” Army will face WAPDA while SA Gardens will meet HEC in the pre-finals to be held on Friday at the Jinnah Football Stadium in Islamabad.