KARACHI, May 16: On their return from a successful AFC President’s Cup group campaign, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) were in imperious form in their 8-0 dismantling of Ashraf Sugar Mills (ASM) in their National Challenge Cup opener on Thursday.

The defending champions were emphatic in their victory, clearly buoyed by their progression to the final stage of Asia’s third-tier club competition last week with star striker Kaleemullah banging in six goals against a hapless ASM side.

Kaleem, incidentally, struck five times in KRL’s last competitive match — against Bhutanese champions Yeedzin FC — in another 8-0 victory in their final group match of the President’s Cup in the Philippines.

And on Thursday, he wowed the crowd at Bahawalpur’s Dring Football Stadium with a scintillating 25-minute first-half burst which yielded four goals before he scored another two in the second-half.

“He showed what a clinical striker he is inside the box despite having pulled his thigh muscle,” KRL head coach Tariq Lutfi told Dawn after their Group ‘A’ match.

“Our wingers Mohammad Adil, Abid Khan along with playmaker Mahmood Khan ran the show, creating chance after chance for Kaleem and he made no mistake in finishing them off.”

KRL’s new signing Saeed Ahmed, added two late goals to make the score-line even more flattering for Lutfi’s outfit.

“He’s settling down well,” Lutfi said regarding Saeed, who was named the best player in last season’s Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) while playing for Muslim FC.

“The two goals today will certainly help his confidence.”

In the other Group ‘A’ match played earlier on Thursday, Habib Bank Limited (HBL) played out a goalless draw against Pak-Afghan Clearing Agency (PACA) in a game in which clear-cut chances were few and far between.

Also on Thursday, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) edged Higher Education Commission (HEC) 2-1 in a feisty Group ‘D’ encounter.

A sensational free-kick by Mohammad Asif put PIA 2-0 up at half-time after Irfan Ali had given them the lead before Rashid Masih pulled one back for HEC.

Nasir Ismail’s National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) were facing the Bahawalpur district side in the late Group ‘D’ match.

The late Group ‘C’ match on Wednesday, meanwhile, saw Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) escaping with a point after a 0-0 draw against National Youth U-18 side.

“We had more chances than PIA and we could’ve won the game,” National Youth U-18 coach Hasan Baloch told Dawn. “Our team is mostly composed of players who played for the U-16 SAFF Championship winning side and we are quite good against PIA.”

Friday’s fixtures:

Group ‘B’: Wapda v Pakistan Police; Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) v Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC)

Group ‘C’: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) v Bhatti United FC; Pakistan Army v National Youth U-18.