Hardrock FC climbed to the top of the Premier Soccer League standings after a 2-0 victory over visiting Bulawayo Chiefs at Chahwanda Stadium this afternoon (Sunday) taking advantage of Scotland FC\u2019s defeat to ZPC Kariba. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goals from Washington Navaya and Melisa Dhlamini secured the crucial victory for Hardrock, who extended their winning streak to seven consecutive league matches with only four games remaining this season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scotland surrendered top spot after suffering a 1-0 defeat to ZPC Kariba, opening the door for Hardrock to move to the summit as the title race enters its decisive stage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking after the match, Hardrock coach Kelvin Kaindu praised his players for responding positively to their disappointing performance last weekend, saying the victory was vital to their late-season push. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good response after a disappointing weekend that we had. We responded very well by picking up a very, very important win,\u201d said Kaindu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He acknowledged that Bulawayo Chiefs had presented a difficult challenge, describing the visitors as a tactically organised side that made life difficult for his team in the first half. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kaindu, however, said Hardrock\u2019s breakthrough after the break changed the complexion of the match, allowing his charges to find more space and add a second goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the championship race reaching its climax, the Hardrock coach emphasised the importance of maintaining consistency rather than allowing the pressure of leading the standings to affect his players. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the seventh game that we are winning in a row. We haven\u2019t drawn. We keep on picking points at a very, very crucial time,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe league is about to end with four games to play. Every point that we get is a boost for the team.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite moving to the top of the table, Kaindu remained cautious about his team\u2019s title prospects, insisting that their primary objective at the start of the campaign had been to remain in the top-flight league. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur objective was to be consistent and stay in the league. Anything that will come ahead of us is a bonus,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Bulawayo Chiefs coach John Nyikadzino conceded that Hardrock had executed a better game plan, particularly in the second half when the hosts introduced two substitutes who added mobility to their attack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nyikadzino said his team had competed well in the opening half but struggled to maintain its effectiveness after the break, ultimately losing valuable points at a crucial stage of the campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would say Hardrock had a better game plan, especially after introducing those two subs who were highly mobile. They were playing better than us in the second half,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bulawayo Chiefs coach said his team had hoped to collect points from the encounter but would now turn its attention to the next match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe really wanted to get out of this match with something. Unfortunately, we couldn\u2019t get what we wanted. It\u2019s now water under the bridge. We prepare for the next game,\u201d said Nyikadzino, who congratulated Hardrock on the victory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hardrock FC climbed to the top of the Premier Soccer League standings after a 2-0 victory over visiting Bulawayo Chiefs at Chahwanda Stadium this afternoon (Sunday) taking advantage of Scotland FC\u2019s defeat to ZPC Kariba. Goals from Washington Navaya and Melisa Dhlamini secured the crucial victory for Hardrock, who extended their winning streak to seven […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"buzzeditor_post_format":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[127],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n