'Extremely happy' Pirates coach Riveiro praises players 'personality' for Gallants victory

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro was "extremely happy" with the way his side beat Marumo Gallants in the DStv Premiership on Wednesday.

Paseka Mako's third-minute goal was all that separated the two sides in a scrappy encounter at the Orlando Stadium.

It was by no means a dominant performance from the home side, but the result lifted the Soweto giants to the top of the standings with their third win in six games.

Gallants dropped to the foot of the table after this first defeat.

Speaking after the game, Riveiro told SuperSport TV: "We knew the capacity of Marumo to hold the ball, to keep the possession. We couldn't today, that's a fact.

"We couldn't dominate the game through possession; it's a lot of events, recently we've had a lot of games... it's difficult to keep the same level [of intensity] in every game.

"They didn't create a single chance; maybe sometimes around set-pieces but nothing really concrete, and it was a pity we couldn't consolidate the advantage in one of our transitions."

The Bucs boss added: "[I'm] extremely happy with the three points, seven points out of nine after our defeat here against Chippa (United). It tells a lot about the personality of these guys and the comeback we did during this week."

Pirates are next in action in the MTN8 quarter-final against Royal AM on Saturday.

Kick-off is at 18:00.