KARACHI Hat-trick hero Mohammad Tauseeq's match-winner helped Faisalabad grab the Junior Super Hockey League title after a pulsating 3-2 victory over Lahore on Friday.
The opening half saw both sides battling to move the scoreboard only to miss the promising openings in the final played at the Hockey Club of Pakistan under floodlights.
Faisalabad were unlucky in the 14th minute when Tauseeq's rising push rattled the bar and landed just on the line only to be disallowed.
Just four minutes later Lahore had a clear chance but skipper Mohammad Aleem's stroke from the top of the circle was well saved by Faisalabad goalkeeper Mazhar Abbas.
Faisalabad once again had perfect opportunity to break the ice two minutes later but Mohammad Rizwan squandered the chance in a one-to-one with Lahore goalkeeper Basharat.
The game eventually exploded into life in the 22nd minute when Lahore grabbed the lead through a clinical strike by Mohammad Bilal that gave Faisalabad defence no chance. Faisalabad faced another setback three minutes later after being reduced two 10 players following yellow card to Adnan Sohail.
Coming back after lemon time with a cushion of one-goal lead, Lahore faced a shock when Faisalabad bounced back to put the game on an even keel just eight minutes into second session. This time Tauseeq, who was at his best, made no mistake as his low and rasping hit in a one-to-one from near 25 yards whizzed past a stunned Basharat.
Faisalabad started running Lahore defences into dizzy disarray with their mazy runs soon after the goal and came near taking the lead four minutes later but Akbar Ali's brilliant effort missed the target.
Pinning down the opponent's defences into their own half, Faisalabad hurried into a 2-1 lead when they were awarded a stroke from the top of the circle in the 42nd minute. Although it seemed almost impossible to beat the goalkeeper from that distance, Tauseeqs push dropped into the cage after a goalkeeping blunder by Basharat.
Lahore recovered from a shock to score an outrageous equalizer with an incisive counter-attack barely 60 seconds later as Bilal slotted home for his second in a lightning attack. But his two fine efforts proved too little for Lahore as Faisalabad dominated the third period of the game and walked away deserved winners.
Akbar might have added the third had his connection was not timely deflected by Basharat in the 54th minute. But Tauseeq banged home the winner to complete his treble in style on a direct drill in the 58th minute which proved the decisive goal of the final.
Lahores Kashif Shah was declared the player of the match.
A late third half Mohammad Jaffar winner gave Sialkot a 1-0 win over Islamabad in the third-place playoff.
After two barren halves, the solitary goal of the game came in the 69th minute. Sialkot's Waseem Abbas was adjudged the player of the match.
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