KARACHI: Champions of the National Challenge Cup Pakistan Navy jumped to the fifth place when they defeated Chaman's Afghan FC by 3-1 in a match of the Pakistan Premier Football League, held at the Naval Sports Complex in Islamabad on Wednesday.

In other matches of the day Army and Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) recorded narrow 1-0 wins against their respective opponents, Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and Pakistan Television (PTV).

Navy, who had won the National Challenge Cup in May this year by beating Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in the final, played in a commanding position against a fighting Afghan FC. Navy dropped a couple of chances in the first ten minutes due to a misunderstanding between the strikers Muhammad Basharat and Asif Mehmood.

It were Afghan FC who took the lead when Jadid Khan Pathan beat the goalie Ahmad Shehzad in the 38th minute. At half time, Afghan FC were leading with 1-0. After the breather Navy took the field with fresh goalie Muhammad Ishaq, who replaced Ahmed Shehzad.

Navy showed great maturity in the session, never allowing the visitors to penetrate. They brought an equaliser through Muhammad Basharat whose header on a corner-kick went past the strongly-built Afghan FC's goalkeeper Fateh Khan in the 58th minute.

After the equaliser Navy continued putting pressure on the opponents through incisive rallies and were able to strike twice in a space of just three minutes, taking the game away from the visitors.

Asif Mehmood struck in the 77th minute, followed by international Farhan Ahmad's super kick into the net in the 79th minute. The win helped Navy get elevated to the fifth place with 36 points from 23 matches while Afghan FC, still fighting to avoid relegation, have 23 points from 22 matches.

At the Army Stadium in Rawalpindi, former champions Pakistan Army secured a 1-0 win against KPT. Unlike their previous outings, KPT failed to play according to their potential. Their frontline, featuring international Abdul Rehman, Zakir Lashari and Shahid Salim, totally failed to produce goals scoring opportunities.

On the other hand the soldiers played in aggressive fashion and scored the decisive goal through their captain Imran Hussain in the 33rd minute. In the second half too Army had tight control of the situation but could not add to their tally due to hasty finishing.

The win helped Army take their points to 40 from 21 matches and they are currently occupying fourth place behind the leaders KRL, WAPDA and KPT. KPT, in spite of the loss, still have 41 from 24 meetings.

At the PSB Ground near Hamidi Hall in Islamabad, KESC snatched a 1-0 triumph against PTV. This was the 19th loss for PTV, who have already been relegated to the B Division league.

For KESC, captain Akbar Ali scored the lone goal on a penalty in the third minute. With the victory KESC, trailing at number seven, have 29 points from 23 appearances while PTV have just five points on the board from 22 matches. Today's fixture: Pak Elektron Limited (PEL) v PIA at Railways Stadium Lahore.