Afghan FC clinch Balochistan Football Cup

LAHORE: Afghan FC Chaman was crowned the champion of the Balochistan Football Cup’s 3rd edition at the Mali Bagh Football Stadium in Quetta which was packed with a mammoth crowd.

The Afghan FC Chaman faced Jallawan FC Khuzdar for the title decider. Both teams emerged as the strongest out of 48 that participated in the tournament.Naimatullah from Chaman’s team scored an early goal during the 19thminute through a corner, putting the team in a leading position. The Khuzdar team started attacking Chaman’s goal post but could not breach the strong defense line.

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

During the half-time Quetta based singer and musician Izhaar Ali performed the championship’s official anthem ‘JeetKeDikha Do’ and received huge applause from the crowd.In the second half, Chaman won a free-kick during the 46th minute but was not successful in scoring. 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 here 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 its opponents at the defensive and registered a convincing 2-0 victory. The President of Balochistan Football Association Quetta M Asghar Kasi was also present on the occasion. Ufone’s Regional General Manager (South), Syed Faisal Rizvi handed over the championship trophy to the winning team’s captain Jadeed Khan. Medals were distributed among all top four teams along with cash prizes.

Balochistan are geared up for a big performance in the Pakistan Cup 2019 when the five teams converge to Rawalpindi for the tournament which commences at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on April 2.