Karachi:Peshawar’s Shinwari Football Club overpowered Karachi’s Khyber Muslim while Lahore’s ICAW defeated Quetta’s Sherof Football Club in the semifinals of Leisure Leagues National Seven-a-side Football Championship here at Baloch Mujahid Stadium 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 semifinal encounter. The regulation time ended in a 1-1 draw with Mohammad Imtiaz scoring for Karachi team while Mohammad Salman scoring for the Peshawar’s side.
However, Shinwari FC emerged victorious by 3-2 score-line in 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 Football Club of Qila Saif Ullah; Red Devils from Islamabad; Shaikhi Seven FC from Mardan; FC Thunderbolt from Hyderabad were eliminated from the tournament.
The eight teams were equally divided into two groups – Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’. Group ‘A’ consisted of teams from Karachi, Quetta, Hyderabad and Mardan. Meanwhile, Group ‘B’ consisted of teams from Peshawar, Lahore, Islamabad and Qila Saifullah. Each team played three matches in the group stage.
Earlier, Quetta’s Sharof FC topped Group ‘A’ chart with a couple of victories and a draw, accumulating five points. Karachi’s Khyber Muslim drew two of its matches and won one to finish second with four points. Hyderabad team finished third with three points while Mardan team failed to earn a single point.
In Group ‘B’, Peshawar’s Shinwari FC topped the group’s points table with five points – two wins and a draw. Lahore’s ICAW finished second with four points winning one of its matches while drawing the rest. Islamabad team finished third with three points while the team from Qila Saifullah finished at bottom-rock fourth place without securing any point. Now both Group ‘B’ teams have qualified for the final.
The players are putting their best in the tournament as the event provides chance to the winners of this ongoing championship to secure a place in Leisure Leagues World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Portugal’s coastal and hilly capital city Lisbon this year from October 5.