Navy cruise into National Hockey semis

RAWALPINDI: Navy became the fourth team to march into the semi-finals of the 66th National Hockey Championship Tuesday here at the MPCL Ground.

Navy will now take on Wapda in the second semi-final to be played on Thursday (tomorrow) while on the same day National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) will lock horns against Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in the first.

“I am glad to see my team winning two important matches to earn a place in the semi-finals. In both the matches, we made sure we end up on the winning side. We defeated NBP and today we beat MPCL to reach semi-finals,” Navy’s Head Coach Junaid Khan said.

He also praised his charges for putting up a good show. “Whole credit goes to the players for superb display of hockey on two consecutive days,” he added.

Navy’s impressive show in the event continued with a decisive 1-0 win against MPCL. Navy scored through Ali Sher on a penalty corner in 27th minute to enter the semi-finals. Even a draw could have sent MPCL in the semis but Navy’s defense stood up to the task to hold on to their slender lead.

Meanwhile, Sohail Anjum’s field goal six minutes into the final hooter settled Wapda’s battle for the top position, winning the last league match against NBP 2-1.

Sohail made a good deflection following a goal-mouth melee to earn the winner for Wapda. NBP were the first to make an impression as Amir Ali struck the board with a first-time strike on the second penalty corner. Trailing by a goal, Wapda started raiding the NBP’s goalpost and earned their first penalty corner in the 20th minute giving Tauseeq Arshad a good opportunity to draw level striking the net with a dazzling push.

SSGC also ensured runners-up position on the table with a 1-0 win against Army in the last match of the day. Zeeshan Khan struck a field goal in 54th minute to earn a victory for his team.

Earlier, PAF ensured Police finish at the bottom of the table with a 4-1 win in a less important match. Police will now face Port Qasim Authority in the playoff to avoid the last position. Following 1-1 draw at the end of the second quarter, where Omer Mustafa scored for PAF and Mohammad Ahad for Police, the ultimate winners were seen dominating with a barrage of attack on opponents’ defense. Rizwan Ali struck a brace while Abdul Rehman scoring the third to settle the matter.

Punjab made sure that they would not have to play the qualifying round for the next championship as they blanked Port Qasim 3-0 to finish 8th — a position that gave them a chance of playing for seventh to the eighth position in a playoff match.

Punjab scored through Ammar Ali, Hanan Shahid, and Zain Ijaz. Port Qasim also struggled to make the best of opportunities coming their way.