‘Lucky’ Pirates won’t stop fighting in league title race says coach Riveiro

Mihlali Baleka

Coach Jose Riveiro has vowed that Orlando Pirates will fight tooth and nail to ensure they knock Mamelodi Sundowns off their perch for the title this season.

Pirates will visit the reigning Premiership champions for a top-of-the-table clash at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday (3.30pm kick-off).

The Brazilians lead the log with 39 points, six ahead of the second-placed Sea Robbers, who have a game in hand after 13 rounds.

While Saturday’s Sundowns-Pirates clash will not serve as the league decider, given that the season is just hitting the halfway mark, it’ll still go a long way in showing their intentions for the title.

Pirates have been on an upward trajectory this season in their bid to challenge for their title, with their only blemishes being the two losses to Western Cape-based outfits.

This week has already tested their mental resolve as well. They beat arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 and the fourth-placed Sekhukhune United 2-1 in back-to-back league encounters.

Deon Hotto opened the scoring for Pirates in the fifth minute, while Makhehlene Makhaula grabbed the second goal in the 47th.

Linda Mntambo pulled one back for Sekhukhune with 13 minutes left.

With Sundowns next on the horizon, Pirates will not want to falter, especially given that the match will also be a sold-out affair as ‘The Ghost’ are expected to come out in full numbers.

Riveiro said that Pirates have been under pressure to deliver from his first day on the job. But there’s been so much belief this season.

“It’s the same pressure since day one when I arrived here. I am coaching Pirates, which is a winning team,” said Riveiro after the win over Sekhukhune in Polokwane.

“Everyone expects us to improve the history of the club and get titles. We are trying to do that. We’ve had a fantastic start to the league season, though we are in February.

“We have only played 13 games. But we are fighting with good teams, and one of them (Sundowns) is an excellent team and champions for the last seven years.

“Even though we’ve had an excellent start to the season, we are still a few points behind. But we won’t stop fighting and performing.

“Hopefully, we’ll have enough luck every week to get the results, and the pressure remains the same as it was on day one.”

Pirates have created their own luck by knowing what it takes to get over the finish line in their 11 wins from 12 matches since the start of the season.

In that regard, the Soweto Derby could have easily ended in a draw.

But thanks to their never-say-die attitude, they just had enough fight in them to beat Kaizer Chiefs 1-0 with a late Patrick Maswanganyi penalty.

And that’s not all. Goalkeeper Sipho Chaine ensured that they came away with all three points in Polokwane after making some top saves late in the Sekhukhune game.

“I think the team is giving reasons (of wanting to challenge for the title) in every game. Even in the two matches that we lost against Stellenbosch FC and Cape Town City, we didn’t deserve that,” Riveiro said.

“But that’s the beauty of the league. Sometimes, in the 11 games that we won, there were games that we should have probably finished with a draw.

“But we were lucky to get the result. In the last game, we got the result

in stoppage time, and (on Wednesday), we had to suffer right until the end to make it possible.

“The type of wins that you get in places where you are not used to give you an extra hope to say, we are heading in the right direction.”

Pirates are indeed heading in the right direction.

While playing both Chiefs and Sundowns is self-motivating, Riveiro knows they do not have to only beat those two teams to win the title.

“Not for us, I think we showed respect for Sekhukhune, who are still an excellent side,” Riveiro explained.

“If we are not coming here prepared, and then think you are going to collect points, you are wrong. They are used to giving us tough games. A good crowd gives you an extra boost.

“So, not at all did we underestimate them. Not even when we were leading 2-0 did we say in our mind, now it’s time to rest someone.”