Daily Times

PESHAWAR: Mardan and Chitral made it to the final of the Ufone 4G Football Cup Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at Tehmas Khan Football Stadium Peshawar here on Friday by registering emphatic wins against their opponents. Over 71 teams participated from across the region in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leg of the tournament, played simultaneously with its Balochistan edition. The first semifinal match was played between Charsadda and Mardan. Despite repeated attacks on both sides, no goal could be scored during the allotted time. Some of the shots were near misses but defenses outweighed offensive tactics on both sides and the match was ultimately decided on penalties. This stage of the contest was however dominated by Mardan, who won the match 4-2.

The second match was played between Chitral and Waziristan Combined under floodlights at the same venue. The two teams appeared to be in impeccable touch however, Chitral were favourites for their extensive collective experience and history as the runners-up of the first edition of Ufone 4G Football Cup. Chitral dominated the match from the beginning through maximum possession of ball as well as by launching fierce attacks at regular intervals. In the 18th minute, Chitral’s Muhammad Rasul sent the ball wheezing past the Waziristan goalkeeper to put his team in command. Chitral’s dominance was further solidified by Ziaul Islam who added the second goal in the 24 minute. Waziristan Combined took thier time to respond. They started the second half on a triumphant note when Faheemullah scored the first goal for his team in the 50th minute. The rest of the match remained an active contest between sides, with Chitral seeking to reinforce thier dominance while Waziristan looking to equalise the scores. The day was however carried by Chitral when their player Ziaul Islam scored a sensational long range goal, his second, in the 93rd minute, labeled as the ‘goal of the tournament’ by commentators, propelling his team into the finals with 3-1 victory. In addition to the memorable performances on the field, the semifinals also featured cultural performances and music to entertain the crowd. The final will be played on Saturday (today). The winners of the Ufone 4G Football Cup Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will then face Muslim Club Chaman, the winners of the Balochistan leg of the cup in a super final, the grand finale to be played on Sunday (tomorrow) at Tehmas Khan Football Stadium Peshawar under floodlights.