LAHORE: Diamond Paints (DP) and FG Polo from Pool B qualified for the semifinals of the 2nd President of Pakistan Polo Cup 2023 sponsored by Takmeel Square here at Jinnah Polo Fields on Tuesday.
Chulo Corti excelled in the Diamond Paints’ emphatic 8-4 victory over DS Polo team in the first match of the day. This victory also helped Diamond Paints qualify for the semifinals. Chulo Corti did the magic with mallet and polo pony and fired in five fabulous goals while Ahmed Ali Tiwana banged in a brace and Nico Roberts struck one goal. Hissam Ali Haider thrashed in three goals and Daniyal Shaikh hit one goal for DS Polo.
Both the teams were off to a flying start as they fought well against each other and succeeded in converting two goals each to finish the first chukker at 2-2. DS Polo played better polo in the second chukker and pumped in two back-to-back goals to take a 4-2 lead. The remaining match was then dominated fully by Diamond Paints, who thrashed in three goals each in the third and fourth chukkers to win the encounter by 8-4.
Raul Laplacette’s heroics helped FG Polo beat Master Paints 5-3½ in the second match of the day. Laplacette was in sublime form and played excellent polo while smashing in three tremendous goals while his teammate Mian Abbas Mukhtar converted two goals. For Master Paints, which had a half goal handicap advantage, Manuel Crispo malleted all the three goals.
The first chukker saw both the sides scoring one goal each to make it 1-1. No goal was scored in the second chukker while FG Polo then banged in a brace to gain a slight 3-1 lead, but Master Paints replied strongly and struck one to reduce the margin to 2-3. They added one more goal in the beginning of the fourth and last chukker by converting a 30-yard penalty to level the score at 3-3. FG Polo then pumped in two back-to-back goals to win the match by 5-3½.
Thus, the first semifinal of the prestigious event will be played between BN Polo and Diamond Paints on Friday, while the second semifinal will be contested between FG Polo and Master Paints/Newage Cables. The four losing teams on Thursday will play qualifying matches for the semifinals.
