Afghan FC clinch Ufone Balochistan Football Cup

QUETTA: Afghan FC Chaman outclassed Jallawan FC Khuzdar 2-0 in the summit clash to clinch the title of 3rd Ufone Balochistan Football Cup at full-house Mali Bagh Football Stadium here on Thursday.

Naimatullah from Chaman’s team scored a goal during the 19th minute through a corner. The Khuzdar team started attacking Chaman’s goal post but could not breach the strong defence line.

Fazal Muhammad from Khuzdar struck a header in the 28th minute but Chaman’s goal-keeper Hameedullah made a thrilling save. Chaman won another corner in the 32nd minute when Khuzdar’s goalkeeper Saleem made a diving save.

During the half-time Quetta based singer and musician Izhaar Ali performed the championship’s official anthem ‘Jeet Ke Dikha Do’ and received huge applause from the crowd.

In the second half, Chaman won a free-kick during the 46th minute but failed to score. Abdur Rahim from Chaman struck in an attacking move during the 51st minute, putting his team in a stable position. Chaman dominated the game from there on, with Naimatullah striking a header in the 56th minute but missing. Khuzadar’s Fazal Muhammad did win a corner in the 63rd minute but the forwards lacked the coordination to score.

Jallawan FC Khuzdar was disordered and lacked coordination on the field. On the other hand, Afghan FC clearly dominated the game by displaying excellent coordination as a unit and put their opponents at the defensive.

The President of Balochistan Football Association Quetta Muhammad Asghar Kasi was also present on the occasion. Ufone’s Regional General Manager (South) Syed Faisal Rizvi handed over the trophy to the winning captain Jadeed Khan. Medals were distributed among all top four teams along with cash prizes.

“We have enjoyed playing this season and all the teammates worked very hard,” said Jadeed. "We are very happy with our performance and look forward to the next season."

Kasi said that he was very happy to see the level of talent the youth displayed during the tournament. "The level of arrangements, especially the games being played under lights and live broadcast, speaks volumes about Ufone’s commitment to developing football in the province, and I would like to congratulate them for a highly successful tournament this year,” he added.