KRL sink Navy to soar to top spot

KARACHI: Former four-time champions Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) surged to the summit when they hammered Navy 3-0 as the third and final phase of the 12th Pakistan Premier Football League commenced here at the KMC Stadium on Friday.

Izharullah emerged as a hero for KRL after the front-runner struck twice in 21st and 29th minutes to put pressure on Navy, who squandered a few chances.Zahid Umar completed the rout with a solid strike in the 75th minute.

KRL now have 25 points, one ahead of Pakistan Air Force (PAF).In the other outing at the same venue, Ansar Abbas hit four goals to enable former two-time winners Army to crush Nushki’s Baloch FC 5-0.

Ansar scored in the 15th, 77th, 85th minutes and stoppage time to complete the rout. He was joined on the scoresheet by Umair Waqar who slotted home in the 50th minute.

The win took Army to 22 points.National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) faced a tough test before recording a slender 1-0 win over Chaman’s Afghan FC to stretch their points to 14 here at the KPT Stadium.

Sher Mohammad hit the winner for the bankers in the 55th minute.“We missed several chances,” NBP coach Nasir Ismail told ‘The News’.“We were missing our three main strikers due to injuries. We had a good possession but when you don’t play with your regular strength you always face a hard time,” the coach added.

In another clash at the same venue, former four-time winners WAPDA laboured hard before edging Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) 1-0 to take their points to 23.WAPDA scored the winner through Ahmed Faheem in the 90th minute to claim three crucial points.