A game of 'two halves' ... but Sundowns remain too strong for Pirates

Mamelodi Sundowns dispatched their league rivals, Orlando Pirates, 1-0 at the Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night as they continued their 100% start to the season.

READ | Ribeiro tops PSL charts in Sundowns' victory, Dzvukamanja's 68-second stunner floors Chiefs

Sundowns dominated the opening 45 minutes, winning a penalty from which Lucas Ribeiro scored the decisive goal.

Pirates coach Jose Riveiro called it a game of "two halves".

"The first one was fully controlled by the opponent ... aggressive pressing from them in our half ... and we were not comfortable on the ball," he told reporters.

Riveiro, though, was happy with their efforts later in the game despite them not finding an equaliser.

"We were much more aggressive in the duels (in the second half) and we tried to match the level of aggression that Sundowns showed, especially in the 50/50 duels."

Sundowns boss Rhulani Mokwena echoed Riveiro's sentiments, lauding Pirates for their fighting spirit in the second stanza.

"In the second half you expect the opposition to react and that's what they [did] ... they induced a little bit of pressure and that caused us to drop our line slightly."

Mokwena added that he was not happy with the condition of the pitch.

"We've seen the pitch in a better state. It was difficult for us to find our rhythm and get that extra pass away because the ball held up a little bit, so we suffered a bit."

Fixture pile-up

Both managers also aired their views on the fixture schedule and the pile-up of games their teams are enduring.

Riveiro did not want to give away much, stating: "We can't complain, we can't look for excuses and the schedule is what it is."

Mokwena added: "The fact that we play a game every two-three days doesn't help our cause in terms of