LAHORE: Lahore and Faisalabad qualified for the third PHF Junior Super Hockey League final after winning their respective semi-finals at the National Hockey Stadium here on Saturday.
Two goals from Mohammad Fahad including the decisive one helped Lahore earn a nail-biting 2-1 victory against Sialkot in the first semi-final.
As the match started, both the teams remained defensive and launched sporadic attacks against each other but without any success.
However, Lahore cashed in on an opportunity in the 15th minute as Fahad converted a penalty-corner on the first try.
The one-goal lead remained in tact till the end of the first half as while both the teams exhibited some attacking hockey they lacked finishing touch.
After the resumption, Sialkot equalised as Ali Butt converted a short-corner in the 41st minute to make it 1-1.
But 14 minutes later Fahad again gave Lahore lead, capitalising on another penalty-corner, which proved the final and decisive goal of the match.
In the other last-four match, Faisalabad overwhelmed Multan 2-0 after taking 1-0 lead in the first half.
Faisalabad’s skipper Bilal Qadir netted the opener in the 10th minute scoring a field goal with a solo effort. The 1-0 scoreline remained same till the conclusion of the first half.In the second half, Multan fought hard to earn the equaliser but their forwards missed some chances. In the dying moments, Faisalabad consolidated the lead as Waseem Abbas converted a penalty-corner to seal the fate of the match.
While Lahore will face Faisalabad in the final on Sunday, Multan will meet Sialkot for the third place.
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