Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has lauded his side for showing mental strength to overcome TS Galaxy who he felt dominated them at stages of the game.
Pirates made it six wins from their opening six league games to move six points ahead of second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns, who face Cape Town City this evening.
Thalante Mbatha and Relebohile Mofokeng scored goals in each half, in a thrilling game in Mbombela where the Rockets suffocated the Buccaneers with their high-pressing for most of the game.
“It’s the game we expected, every time we come to Mpumalanga to face Galaxy it’s always a very tough one, it’s an extremely difficult team to play against,” Riveiro said.
“They push you to play at a very high tempo throughout the 90 minutes, the moment that you want to slow down the game and control it, they don’t allow you to do it.
“You have to keep going but we did a fantastic job in terms of work ethic, and consistency and we didn’t concede goal chances, even though Galaxy managed to dominate us, but without creating much danger, it was a massive three points for us.
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“We have the mentality to collect three points knowing it’s going to be difficult and we lost here 1-0 a few months ago. But this time it’s for us, and a well-deserved three points with a good performance.”
The Pirates now turn their attention to Richards Bay on Tuesday at Orlando Stadium before the next FIFA International break, which offers a reprieve after 10 games in six weeks.
