Pirates to ‘die on the pitch’ for league title

“We still have 10 games to play and we are going to fight until the very last second,” said Ouaddou.

Ahead of Saturday’s clash against Siwelele FC, Orlando Pirates coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has vowed that his side will “die on the pitch” for the Betway Premiership title.

The Buccaneers beat Richards Bay 2-0 at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Wednesday to move back to the top of the log table.

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A first half strike from Oswin Appollis and a late Evidence Makgopa penalty ensured that Pirates reclaim their position which was taken by Mamelodi Sundowns who beat ORBIT College by the same scoreline on Tuesday.

Pirates showed character

Speaking to the media after the game against the Natal Rich Boyz, Ouaddou admitted that he was not entirely pleased with his team’s performance, but added that he was delighted with the win.

“We were not so efficient with the last pass, in the last third and in the heart of the game. And we lost some crucial balls that maybe could’ve been punished by the opposition in the transitions, but in the end when you sometimes feel like you cannot score the second goal, we took the decision to close up shop,” said Ouaddou.

“We take these three points because it’s a very important result in this title race, and I want to congratulate the boys again for their character.

“I am really happy with the character of the team. Even when it’s tough like today {Wednesday), the team is still winning, so you can imagine what would happen when we are in the best of shape. You can imagine how the team can perform. You will see this team fly,” added Ouaddou.

‘We are going to fight’

Ouaddou will be looking for the same character from his charges when they play the last 10 games of the season, starting with the game against Siwelele FC, which takes place at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday (kick-off is at 3.30pm).

“We still have 10 games to play and we are going to fight until the very last second. We are going to die on the pitch for this race (title),” said Ouaddou.

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Pirates have won the last two games between them and Siwelele FC. They beat them 1-0 in the reverse fixture in Bloemfontein in September last year and they also won by the same score margin when the teams last met in the Carling Knockout a month later.