AmaZulu edge Golden Arrows as Arthur Zwane praises ‘soldier’ mindset

AmaZulu secured a fifth successive league victory over KwaZulu-Natal rivals Golden Arrows after a narrow win at Princess Magogo Stadium on Saturday, with coach Arthur Zwane praising his players for enduring a difficult derby.

Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya scored the only goal of the match, taking his league tally to nine and keeping him top of the division’s scoring charts so far this season.

“In short, I would say we have soldiers; we have players that can take the pain,” Zwane said.

AmaZulu found chances difficult to come by in a tightly contested encounter, but held on to claim maximum points from their home fixture.

“This game [against Arrows] was so tight in such a way that we could not find many spaces,” Zwane said. “Normally we create three or four chances in a game, but today [Saturday] we struggled a bit to create.”

The result continued AmaZulu’s strong run at home, which Zwane said made victory particularly important.

“What was key for us was that we’re playing at home; we needed to get maximum points, so credit to the players’ hard-fought win and the continuity we left off in terms of grinding results at home,” he said.

Zwane acknowledged that the performance was not necessarily one built around attractive football, but said results remained the priority while the team continued to develop.

“Sometimes we play a scrappy game, but as long as we keep on winning, it’s OK because we are a team that’s growing.”

AmaZulu are now four points behind leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, prompting growing suggestions that they could mount a serious challenge for the title.

However, Zwane urged his players not to be influenced by external expectations as they continue their current run of form.

“We will find ways to make sure that our players don’t get distracted by the outside noise to remain focused on the job at hand.”

AmaZulu’s next fixture is an away Carling Knockout quarter-final against Stellenbosch next weekend, although the date has yet to be confirmed.

Other results saw Kruger beat Bay 3-1, while Chippa won 2-0 away to Stellenbosch. Polokwane City and Galaxy drew 0-0, Milford defeated Sekhukhune 1-0, Mamelodi Sundowns beat Durban 4-1 and Orlando Pirates overcame Kaizer Chiefs 2-1.