Peshawar, Lahore teams cruise into Leisure Leagues National final

KARACHI: Peshawar’s Shinwari Football Club overpowered Karachi’s Khyber Muslim while Lahore’s ICAW defeated Quetta’s Sherof Football Club in the semi-finals of the Leisure Leagues National Seven-a-side Football Championship here at the Baloch Mujahid Stadium on Friday night.

ICAW’s Umer Jawaid scored the decisive goal of the match against Sherof FC to propel his team into the climax of the tournament with a 1-0 victory after a tough battle.

Meanwhile, Shinwari FC had to work hard to beat local team Khyber Muslim in the other semi-final. The regulation time ended in a 1-1 draw with Mohammad Imtiaz scoring for Khyber Muslim while Mohammad Salman scoring for Shinwari FC.

However, Shinwari FC emerged victorious by 3-2 on penalty-kicks and subsequently qualified for the summit clash.

All the eight teams, which qualified for the national championship, were champions of their respective cities in Leisure Leagues Intra-City events.

Earlier in group stage, Shaheed FC of Qila Saif Ullah, Red Devils of Islamabad, Shaikhi Seven FC from Mardan and FC Thunderbolt from Hyderabad were eliminated.

The eight teams were equally divided into two groups. Each team played three matches in the group stage.

The championship provides a chance to the winners to secure a place in the Leisure Leagues World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Portugal’s capital Lisbon this year from October 5.