KARACHI, Sept 12: A late charge helped the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) outplay PIA 2-0 to lift the All-Pakistan Shaheed-i-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan hockey title after an ill-tempered final at the Hockey Club of Pakistan on Wednesday.

Although the game started at a fast pace, both sides failed to score in the first half which also saw PQA’s Jawaid Mazhar injuring his nose after a nasty hit, forcing him to leave the field for medical treatment.

Maintaining the pace and rhythm yet into the second half, the PQA mounted further pressure on PIA and came close to scoring in the 45th minute but their skipper Kashif Jawwad failed to properly take an Owais Khan cross despite having enough time to score.

Owais, who was constantly cutting in deep from the right and dribbling through tackles, fed Kashif two minutes later but the Olympian gave a pass to PIA defender instead.

Inayatullah missed a chance for PIA in the 50th minute, while Mahmood Ali’s wild effort also went in vain in the 55th minute.

The game was stopped after Owais and PIA’s Shafqat Rasool got involved in an exchange of hot words following rough tactics. Owais pushed Shafqat while PIA’s Dilawar Hussain also came rushing in to jostle Owais during the argument.

Players from both sides, including Kashif were involved in a brawl and had to be separated by umpires who later yellow carded both Owais and Shafqat.

But a former Pakistan full-back Dilawar, who is among a group of five banned for skipping last year’s Doha Asian Games to play in foreign league, escaped temporary suspension despite being one of the most active participants in the ugly scene.

The play, however, resumed with the PQA making dangerous inroads into PIA territory. The national carriers, on the other hand, either failed to stop or push the ball properly during the penalty corner opportunities.

The PQA got what they were struggling for barely a minute after the brawl. Despite losing livewire Owais to a temporary suspension, the PQA went 1-0 up in the 56th minute when Shakeel made no mistake in hammering the opening goal on a volley past PIA goalkeeper Imran Butt.

Cheered by a small but partisan crowd, the goal gave the winners a new confidence, while puncturing the spirits of PIA, who attempted on PQA’s goal several times but never found the target.

After scoring the opening goal, Shakeel once again threatened PIA’s defences seconds after the first strike.

This time he cut in deep from the left after a pass from 25 yards but wasted the chance as his angular hit went across the goal.

PIA were completely shaken when the PQA grabbed their second goal in the 59th minute. PQA’s Wasif Raza cleverly set up Mohammad Atif whose deflection made it 2-0 which gave PIA goalkeeper Imran no chance.

Reeling from a two-goal deficit, PIA failed in reducing the margin on a short corner in the 64th minute. Dilawar attempted with a strong hit the next minute only to see PQA goalkeeper Rashid Yaqoob making a fine save.