Johannesburg — Another match-day, another win.
Orlando Pirates are hitting all the right notes domestically at the perfect time.
With only five matches remaining — three in the league and two in the Nedbank Cup — before the curtain falls on the season, there’s no team that’s more on form than Pirates.
They are where they want to be: second on the log, with a two-point cushion, and in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals, where they’ll face arch-rivals Kaizer Chiefs at FNB on Saturday.
Pirates made it an eight-game winning streak by beating TS Galaxy 2-1 on Sunday afternoon, thanks to goals from Terrence Dzvukamanja and Deon Hotto.
It was a hard-earned win which tested the Sea Robbers’ mental strength as they failed to create clear-cut chances for most of the first half despite dominating possession.
They also showed their fighting spirit by securing all three points after allowing Galaxy to equalise through Given Msimango as they failed to deal with a corner-kick.
This sort of performance and fighting spirit will serve as a source of reference and motivation to the team, showing that they don’t need to play pretty football to win matches.
A win against Royal AM on Wednesday night will see them all but secure a CAF Champions League spot for next season — a qualification that’s guaranteed by the first and second-place finish in the league.
Having lost back-to-back Soweto derbies to Chiefs this season — and five in a row — there’d be no better time to avenge those losses than in the Ke Yona Cup this weekend.
Granted form counts for nothing in a derby, but that Pirates haven’t had problems scoring in recent weeks should make them favourites.
Knockout matches are all about that goals. How a team performs to reach the next level of the competition is neither here nor there — even in a derby.
Pirates also boast the advantage of having shared the goal scoring responsibilities — like they did against TS Galaxy — thanks their former striker coach Scott Chickelday.
While it will be important for the players to play and win as a team, it’s worth mentioning that there are players who are tipped to challenge for individual awards in the league. And one of those is Monnapule Saleng.
The 25-year-old has had a dream season with Pirates which has seen him reach double figures (10 goals) in the league, while he is not only in the running for the Golden Boot award, but is also being tipped to win the PSL Footballer of the Season award as well.
So while his continued success in front of goal and assists for Pirates will put the team in a good standing, he will also boost his chances of winning individual awards.
For coach Jose Riveiro, it hasn’t been an ideal start to his career in South Africa – after missing out on the league title to Mamelodi Sundowns – but, boy, his detractors are eating humble pie.
IOL Sport