ISLAMABAD: Aqua FC Quetta won the Ufone Balochistan Football Cup after beating Noshkal Baloch FC Noshki 2-1 in a thrilling final at Railway Ground in Quetta on Thursday. The final was attended by a large crowd including general public, dignitaries, media and management of Ufone. Secretary Sports Balochistan, Manzoor Ahmed, was the chief guest. He handed over the trophy to the winning team. “It is a great initiative from Ufone. These kind of activities not only promote good health but also help build confidence in the youth and provide them a competitive opportunity”, Ahmed said. Earlier on in the first half, Aqua Quetta played a defensive knock in the first ten minutes of the game while Noshkal Baloch kept attacking. However, after the initial defense Aqua Quetta geared up the aggression and made several attacks on the Noshkal Baloch’s goal but could not get the ball past the goal post. No goals were scored in the first half.
Noshkal Baloch’s Abdul Malk scored earlier in the second half to take the lead in the match. After a gap of 15 minutes Sher Hassan from Aqua Quetta cored an equalizer to keep his club’s hopes alive for the title. It was not until the last few minutes of the game when Aqua Quaetta’s Nasrullah scored on a penalty to ensure his team lift the trophy. This year the championship took place in six cities, including Quetta, Pishin, Khuzdar, Chaman, Loralai and Noshki. The championship had 30 teams, five from each city and engaged 450 young footballers. Ufone believes the championship has helped promote football in the province and proved to be a great platform for the emerging young players who learnt and displayed excellent footballing skills. The initiative shows Ufone’s commitment to the people of Balochistan, which enunciates with the company’s tagline “It’s all about U.”
Published in Daily Times, March 30th 2018.