Heart of Lions has kept the hopes of qualifying for the Premier League alive, after securing 3 vital points from a 24th fixture of the Access Bank Division One League with Susubiri Sporting Club.

The match hosted at the Kpando Sports Stadium was rained off in the 16th minute on Sunday due to a heavy downpour. 

The match which was eventually played on Monday ended 1:0 in favor of Hearts of Lions. 

A 23rd-minute rebound by Mustapha Yakubu secured all three points for Lions, stretching their Zone 3 League table to 16 points, ahead of second-placed Vision FC. 

Susubiribi Sporting Club led by the Head Coach, David Nyaaba, opened up and played all out in the second half hoping to equalize, to at least pick a point home. 

The Old Tafo-based Club was disallowed a goal by center referee, George Mawuli Vormawor. He awarded a foul in favor of Heart of Lions for an earlier infringement on the goalkeeper. 

Both sides failed to convert chances created in the second half leaving the score line at 1:0. 

The players, technical bench, and fans of Heart of Lions went into a frenzy at the blast of the final whistle, knowing they have secured a spot in the Premier League despite having 6 more matches to play. 

The Head Coach of Heart of Lions, Salifu Fatawu, lauded his players for playing according to instructions given to them adding “my guys were tactically disciplined today and we got the opportunity to win.”

“Within last week, they were telling me we are already there but I think that we still need more wins to secure a clear qualification. So Today's win at least, brightens the chances of our qualification. Of course, it has kept us on top of the league with almost 17 points gap, so we are in the premier league now”, he said. 

He said the team would approach the rest of the six matches as they did at the start of the season to ensure they win all 18 points “to make a solid statement and history in the Division One League”.