ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL
Rawalpindi (August 8, 2021):-Pakistan WAPDA, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Pakistan Navy recorded victories on the opening day of the Mari Petroleum Azadi Hockey Cup 2021 after defeating their respective opponents that started here at Mari Petroleum Astroturf Hockey Stadium Ayub Park Rawalpindi on Sunday. The top national hockey showpiece is being played under the banner of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).
In the first match of the championship, WAPDA defeated Army 2-1, as the winners got the lead in the first half of the match when Rana Waheed netted the ball. Aslo, Waheed scored second goal for his team in second part of the match. Arslan Rao scored only goal for Army.
Meanwhile, in the second match, National Bank of Pakistan beat Pakistan Air Force (PAF) 3-2 in a well contested match of the day, as both teams displayed excellent skills of game during ll the four quarters. However, NBP managed to defend their lead till the last whistle. Ali Hasan, Mohammad Shan and Mohammad Abubaker scored each one goal for their winner team NBP. Mohsin Hasan and Rizwan Ali were the scores for PAF.
In the last match of the day Pakistan Navy defeated Mari Petroleum 2-1 in a trilling four quarters competition. Akbar Ali and Kamran Asif scored the goal for the winners while Aitsham scored the solitary goal for the losing side.
President PHF Khalid Sajjad Khokhar graced the opening ceremony of the tournament. All top officials of Mari Petroleum and hockey federation were present on this occasion. The final of the championship will be played on red letter day August 14, 2021.
Teams:
Pool (A):
WAPDA, Pakistan Navy, Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL), Pakistan Army
Pool (B):
National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan Air Force (POA), Punjab
Schedule & Results:
August 8, 2021 (Day-1):
WAPDA beat Pakistan Army 2-1
NBP beat Pakistan Air Force 3-2
Pakistan Navy beat Mari Petroleum Company 2-1
August 9, 2021 (day-2)
SSGC Vs Punjab
Army Vs MPCL
Navy Vs WAPDA
August 10, 2021 (day-3)
PAF Vs Punjab
NBP Vs SSGC
August 12, 2021 (day-4):
NBP Vs Punjab
SSGC Vs PAF
Army Vs Navy
WAPDA Vs MPCL
August 13, 2021 (Day-5)
Semifinals
August 14, 2021 (Day-6)
Third place match
Final
