Two Pakistan football departments SA Gardens and WAPDA have qualified for the semifinals of the 30th edition of Pakistan’s oldest cup competition, the National Challenge Cup.
Star-studded WAPDA football department defeated Shahzad Anwar’s Pakistan Airforce (PAF) team by a 1-0 score-line in extra time of the second quarterfinal of the country’s premier cup competition.
Meanwhile, in another intense quarterfinal clash, the SA Gardens football team triumphed with a 1-0 score-line against the WSTC. It was a battle between two Pakistani footballers Junaid Shah and Mohib Ullah Afridi where the former became victorious.
Omer Sadozai netted the only goal in the match between SA Gardens and WSTC whereas Pakistan’s prolific winger Shayek Dost netted once again to help WAPDA clinch a hard-fought victory over Pakistan Airforce.
With these results, the semifinal matchups are now all set. HEC’s football department, riding high on their upset victory over KRL in the quarterfinals, now awaits SA Gardens.
On the other side, the formidable Pakistan Army team would face the WAPDA departmental football team that has local stars such as Alamgir Ghazi, Rao Umer Hayat, Shayek Dost, and Ali Uzair Gujjar, setting the stage for intense battles ahead in the semifinals.
Two massive teams including Shahzad Anwar’s PAF and Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) have already been knocked out in the quarterfinal stage.
Both HEC and SA Gardens have never won the National Challenge Cup in their history while Pakistan Army has won it three times.
WAPDA’s lone National Challenge Cup victory came four years ago when they bagged their first cup silverware by defeating Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) by 1-0.
National Challenge Cup semifinals will be held on May 10 at the Jinnah Stadium with Pakistan Army, WAPDA, SA Gardens, and HEC battling it out in the last four to achieve the coveted title.
