KARACHI: Aurangzeb’s splendid goal in the dying moments guided KESC to a 2-1 win over a star-studded National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in a match of the Pakistan Premier Football League held here at the Korangi Baloch Stadium in Sharafi Goth on Wednesday.

Aurangzeb, the experienced striker of KESC, dribbled past the defence in the 87th minute and smashed it through the narrow gap between NBP goalie Aamir Gul and the goalpost, providing his team a deserving 2-1 victory.

Earlier, KESC took the lead in the 31st minute through veteran Lal Muhammad, but NBP were able to square it 1-1 when Abbas Ali scored a fine goal.

It was a good fight between the two competitive sides on a greenish but an uneven pitch. NBP, featuring international players, looked in belligerent mood from the very first whistle but their frontline was poorly prepared and so they failed capitalise on the opportunities.

Ismail missed a clear-cut chance in the 14th minute, followed by a poor drive from midfielder Farooq Shah in the 16th minute when he only had to beat the goalkeeper. Goalkeeper Aamir Gul saved NBP from a real blow when he acrobatically gathered a super short-range shot from KESC’s Abdul Ghafoor in the 17th minute. Finally, it was KESC who took the initiative when their midfielder Lal Muhammad, after beating a row of defenders, sent the ball past the diving oppositions goalie Aamir Gul.

However, their lead did not last long and it was in the 36th minute when international Abbas Ali struck on rebound after KESC defender Zahid Hussain stopped a sharp drive from Farooq Shah. A minute before the half time NBP could take the lead but Farooq Shah’s angular drive from the top right hit the cross bar.

At half time, the match was evenly poised at 1-1. At the start of the second half, KESC were unfortunate to win a penalty when in the 56th minute the referee Muhammad Amin, quite surprisingly yellowed-carded KESC’s Lal Muhammad after he was charged by the NBP defender from behind when he was entering the penalty box.

KESC’s management protested the decision of the referee. Following the incident, NBP opted for aggression but once again they were unable to capitalise on most of the chances that came their way.

Farooq Shah missed a sure goal in the 73rd minute, followed by Attique’s poor drive from ten yards when goalie Muhammad Umar was not in the right position to stop the ball. Finally, KESC, who are deemed as tough oppositions because of their strong defence, took the decisive lead through Aurangzeb in the 87th minute.

“Yes, all my boys played well and I would say that it was a team effort and the victory in the first match against NBP will boost the morale of the players. We could have won with a better scoreline,” KESC coach Hassan Baloch told ‘The News’ after the match.

“We missed a lot of chances and that really snatched the game from us. But I am optimistic that we will overcome these mistakes and will start winning the matches,” NBP emotional coach Nasir Ismail said. Today’s fixture: Habib Bank Limited (HBL) v Pakistan Steel (Peoples Stadium).