Goals rain down at KPT as Army maul FC Karachi 25-0

KARACHI: There was a goal in the opening minute on Sunday. And then another three in three minutes by the 15th. Another goal in the 17th was followed by another three goals in three minutes by the 22nd and another in the 24th.

Pakistan Army were just getting started against FC Karachi. At the end of the 90 minutes here at the KPT Stadium, the scoreline read 25-0.

This year’s National Women’s Football Championship has seen landslide wins but this one beat the previous best margin of victory by six goals.

FC Karachi, making their debut at the country’s elite women’s football tournament, just had no answer to Army’s incisive attacks. At half-time, they were down 13-0 as holders Army, who had seven different scorers, cruised into the quarter-finals with four wins out of four in Group ‘C’.

Qualification to the last eight was never really a in doubt for Army even before the game but on this showing, it is more a question of who can stop them. Incredibly, Army’s star striker Hajra Khan just contributed three goals.

Aliza Sabir found the back of the net nine times with her team-mate Swaiba Sarfraz getting six. Alina, Rameen Fareed and Roshnan Fareed got two goals each with Mishal Bhatti getting the other goal.

“The situation was the worst for us as we had several players in defence missing or were playing with injuries,” FC Karachi founder Hamza Farooque told Dawn.

“The team was only formed a month ago although most of the players were doing well by winning futsal championships, there has been a lack of communication between the players and foreign-qualified coach Ahmed Mukhtar,” added Hamza, whose team will now looks to be heading to the development stage tournament at the end of the group stage.

As many as 40 goals were scored at the KPT across three matches on Sunday with last year’s losing finalists Karachi United hammering Sialkot FC 11-0 and Highlanders routing Diya FC 4-0.

United, who had the championship’s first positive Covid-19 case, were playing after nearly a week’s gap after the rest of their team tested negative and registered their third straight win in Group ‘B’.

Zulfia Nazir pumped in six goals with Suha Hirani getting a hat-trick and Eshal Shaikh bagging a brace to open up a three-point lead in their section ahead of Masha United, who have played a game less.

The match between Highlanders and Diya was potentially the game to decide which team will finish top of Group ‘D’ and Highlanders look to be in pole position to do that after a comfortable victory.

Asmara Habib scored twice while Kafia Karim and Marvi Baig adding one each as Highlanders moved level with Diya on nine points with a game to play.

Both sides are through to the quarter-finals with Mohammad Umar Khan FC and Nawanshehr United FA playing out a goalless draw in the other group game at the KMC Stadium.

The day’s other match at the KMC was also a stalemate — 1-1 between Young Rising Stars Layyah and Riaz Kamil FC which means both sides are out of the last-eight race from Group ‘C’.