Orlando Pirates’ progress in the South African Premier Division seems unstoppable.
Yesterday, the Buccaneers managed to secure a 2-0 away victory against TS Galaxy, marking their sixth win in six matches and placing them at the top of the table with 18 points.
Despite it only being the sixth round of the season, they have already opened up a 6-point lead over their closest rival, last season’s champions Sundowns.
Last season, Orlando Pirates finished second in the league with 50 points after 30 matches. However, this season they have already earned nearly half that total in just six matches. Perhaps this season, Orlando Pirates will be the team to finally halt Sundowns’ seven-year title dominance.
In the most recent match, Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro heaped praise on defensive midfielder Makhehlene Makhaula:
“Makhaula’s reward also belongs to those who are working to keep a clean sheet. Like today, the ones at the back don’t usually get the recognition they deserve, so I’m happy for him because he’s a very important player for us.”
At this point, the only concern for Orlando Pirates seems to be the right-back position. Deano van Rooyen was absent from the match, and his replacement, Thabiso Monyane, had to be substituted early.
“With this marathon, we have to be ready for every kind of inconvenience because there are a lot of challenges in the game.”
“Today was a game that was played at a really high tempo from the first minute with a lot of duels and contact, and it’s normal to suffer these types of knocks when you try to be first. Hopefully, it’s not going to be something serious,” said Riveiro.