Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has described the win over Sekhukhune United in a DStv Premiership clash as a test of character.
The Soweto giants beat Sekhukhune 1-0 at Orlando Stadium with Thabiso Monyane scoring the only goal of the match.
With the win, Pirates ended their four-match winless run and it is a vital momentum shift for the much-anticipated Soweto Derby against Kaizer Chiefs, who are set to host Cape Town Spurs on Wednesday night.
Jose Riveiro’s troops jumped to ninth place on the log standings after nine matches with 12 points from three wins, three draws and three defeats.
This is a rather poor start to the season as Pirates made it clear that they want to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns for the league title.
The Tshwane giants are 12 points ahead with a game in hand. However, Riveiro was a relieved man after the Sekhukhune win and insisted that they need to celebrate as Pirates has been struggling for results and goals in the last few games.
RIVEIRO REACTS TO PIRATES’ VICTORY OVER SEKHUKHUNE
“Now (it is time) to recover. We need to celebrate the win,” Riveiro told SuperSport TV. “I think we need to celebrate the small victories as well, not only when we win trophies. The guys are working hard to get the results. “(I’m) happy with the results, the performance especially in the first half. We played a bit in the second, a bit of fatigue. With the substitutes, we got something fresh.
“But at the same time it takes time to find the right spaces due to the talent that they have upfront they managed to put one ball in the net and that’s the difference with the other games we didn’t get the results.”
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The Pirates coach also admitted that the players are relieved after the win as they were under pressure due to the poor results. Prior to the Sekhukhune win, Pirates had lost two games, while being held to draws on two occasions.
“I am so happy for the boys because this is a relief for them,” he added. “I am not even thinking about the next one, we need to celebrate tonight because the last games were not easy for us.
“We have to win games, Orlando Pirates wants to win frequently, to be consistent. “Our performances in the last game were good enough to get the results but not finishing of the chances we created.
“In the Sekhukhune game, it was a test for all of us because it is not easy to come here, play at home with our supporters, and do it at the level that they did in terms of our confidence that finally, they got the results that they deserved.”