Hardrock FC pulled off the shock of the round on Wednesday, securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chicken Inn to hand the “Gamecocks” their first defeat of the 2026 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season.
A 52nd-minute strike from Wilfred Madzungu was enough to separate the two sides, marking Hardrock’s second win of the campaign and proving they are no pushovers this year. Despite the travel demands of the early season, Chicken Inn head coach Tonderai Ndiraya was clinical in his assessment of the loss.
“We have no excuses; we should have done better,” Ndiraya stated post-match. “It’s demanding when you have to travel long distances, but all teams are traveling. We played a team coming from Kariba, so there is no reason to complain.”
Ndiraya noted that while player fitness is still reaching peak levels, the result boiled down to execution. “The program was set well in time. We had time to prepare. We must just go back, prepare, and play again.”
Meanwhile in other games that were played yesterday, Caps United maintained their flawless start to the season, edging Triangle United 1-0 at a packed Gibbo Stadium. “Makepekepe” remain top of the table with a perfect nine points from three matches.
Ngezi Platinum climbed into second place with 7 points after a 2-1 win over ZPC Kariba at Baobab Stadium.
Simba Bhora grabbed a vital away win, edging TelOne 1-0 at Ascot Stadium.
FC Hunters and FC Platinum shared the spoils in a 0-0 stalemate, leaving the newcomers still searching for their first top-flight victory.
