League

Quaid-e-Azam Ground
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Ansar Arslan took the kick off in the first half of the match. In the 4th minute Zaib Khan shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Subhan Akhtar saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Razi Mirza showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Ali Asif, who was totally free with the ball in the 5th minute. After 11 minutes of play, FC Barcelona's Ansar Arslan made it 0-2 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Razi Mirza was left in no man's land by his defense there! Shaukat Qazi received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 14th minute. Razi Mirza tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. In the 16th minute of the match Khurram Mir shot from a long distance. The ball could have gone into the goal to the right of the goalkeeper, but Razi Mirza showed his good shape when he easily got hold of the ball. Subhan Akhtar made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Arif Moeez in the 18th minute of play. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Ansar Arslan in the 20th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Razi Mirza saved Islamabad Royals from getting behind. Subhan Akhtar made a fantastic save in the 23rd minute, when Zeeshan Waheed sent off a good shot on target. The audience was convinced that Ansar Arslan's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Razi Mirza was relentless in the 31st minute of the game. 33 minutes into the match, FC Barcelona's goalkeeper Subhan Akhtar had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Arif Moeez. In the 34th minute, Zeeshan Waheed ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Subhan Akhtar was frozen by the shot and now it was 1-3. Zaib Khan blasted a shot towards the goal in the 37th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Subhan Akhtar having to make a save. After 38 played minutes Islamabad Royals got a freekick which was hit by Zeeshan Waheed. 42 minutes into the match, Islamabad Royals's goal looked a bit too open when Khurram Mir came free, but Razi Mirza reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Subhan Akhtar made an important save on a dangerous shot by Atif Azhar in the 45th minute. Disappointed in the 1-3 score, the home team went to the dressing room to adjust tactics for the second half.

The wind increased when Zaib Khan made the kick off in the second half. Atif Azhar charged in rather forcefully in the 53rd minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Atif Azhar the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After a rather tough play, Islamabad Royals's Atif Azhar got a free kick in the 53rd minute. Subhan Akhtar showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Arif Moeez in the 57th minute of the match. Subhan Akhtar made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Atif Azhar in the 58th minute of play. The supporters of Islamabad Royals booed when FC Barcelona was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 60 match minutes in a wonderful position. Farooq Rehman didn't get a good kick on the ball. Subhan Akhtar made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Zaib Khan in the 66th minute of play. In the 66th match minute, FC Barcelona was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Khurram Mir to maneuver through the defense. 72 minutes into the match, Zeeshan Waheed notched a goal, 2-3, to the right of FC Barcelona's Subhan Akhtar. Subhan Akhtar was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. When FC Barcelona's Ansar Arslan in the 75th minute got a chance for a shot 75th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Islamabad Royals's goalie prevented a goal. In the 76th minute Zaib Khan shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Subhan Akhtar saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Razi Mirza showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Ansar Arslan in the 79th minute of the match. FC Barcelona's attentive Shaukat Qazi managed to snatch the ball when Kamran Naseem made a throw-in in the 81st minute of the game. In the 82ndth minute of the game Ansar Arslan who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Islamabad Royals's Razi Mirza was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. 83 minutes into the match, FC Barcelona's goal looked a bit too open when Zeeshan Waheed came free, but Subhan Akhtar reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. The supporters of FC Barcelona booed when Islamabad Royals was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 87 match minutes in a wonderful position. Imran Chaughtai didn't get a good kick on the ball. Ansar Arslan sent away a hard shot on goal in the 93rd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. After a defensive mix-up in Islamabad Royals's zone, Ansar Arslan stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Razi Mirza came out of the goal and Ansar Arslan tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The referee blew the final whistle, and the away crowd roared, having watched FC Barcelona eke out a victory against a very well matched opponent.