Tongai Mashonga in Kwekwe
HARDROCK have gone eight points clear at the top of the Castle Lager Premiership, giving them full control of the destiny of the title.
This came after their epic 3-2 comeback victory over MWOS at Chawanda yesterday.
Arthur Banda struck in the ninth minute for MWOS on the counter.
In the 57th minute, Nigel Makumbe extended MWOS’s lead to 2-0, capitalising on a mix-up between goalie Martin Mapisa and his defence.
Gerald Takwara pounced on the rebound with a tap-in to make it 2-1.
In the 75th minute, Navaya laid a brilliant pass that was clinically finished by Thubelihle Mavuso to level at 2-2.
And then came Munashe Bamara magic to complete the comeback.
Years from now, this will be remembered as one of the greatest comebacks by Hardrock in a season they are now just 180 minutes away from winning the league title.
Second-placed Scottland, who are also the defending champions, now trail by eight points, but have two games in hand.
Two wins from those matches, starting with the difficult task against CAPS United on Thursday, will still leave them two points short.
Hardrock will now need to get the better of former champions Simba Bhora and FC Platinum.
Scottland will face CAPS, Chicken Inn, Herentals and Triangle, and hope to collect 12 points while praying Hardrock slip.
Hardrock head coach Kelvin Kaindu said he never stopped believing even when they were 2-0 down.
“I think even at half-time the only message that I gave them is the ability to believe in ourselves. We have worked very, very hard for us to come and lose it when it really matters and they haven’t disappointed. We came back strong,” said Kaindu.
“Maybe the turning moment is, I think from week one up to now, how I was waiting to see Bamara’s goal. I think for the first time you have seen me run across just to go and celebrate. I think he saved
it for the last and what a goal,” he said.
“Good fighting spirit. MWOS gave us a run for our money. They capitalised on the few mistakes that we made in both goals that we conceded, but I’m happy with the build-up. I’m happy with the way we scored,” said Kaindu.
“We played well and we showed the character that we deserve to be champions.”
This stretches Hardrock’s winning streak to nine games in the league.
And this also means that this season, they have not lost in a match in which they have scored at least two goals.
The closest they came to losing after scoring two was in another comeback against Ngezi when the match ended 2-2.
MWOS head coach Lloyd Mutasa was left to rue poor game management.
“It was a good game. We took the lead, a game we thought was in our hands. We let go a game we thought we could have taken three points from, but such is football. We say congratulations to the winning team, Hardrock,” said Mutasa.
“I think we have learnt our lessons. I don’t even know when we conceded three goals in a game, more so in one half. But such is football.”
“We were working, we had a very good game plan, we took the lead but we failed to manage the game as a team. When everything happens, everything goes back to me as a coach. I say probably we missed it,” he said.
