Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro admits it was not easy to walk away with all three points against Polokwane City in the DStv Premiership.

The Buccaneers claim their first win in four league games following their 1-0 win over Rise and Shine thanks to a 68th minute goal from Evidence Makgopa at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.

The win sees Pirates move up to fourth place on the log with 29 points from 18 games, while Polokwane are placed ninth on the table with 24 points from 18 matches.

“Difficult one like I told you before the match,” Riveiro told SuperSport TV after the game.

“They managed to reduce the tempo in the first half. It was a slow game even in the beginning of the second half, delays, it was difficult to find continuity in our game.

“But I think we did good enough in the first-half.

“Clear chances to get the lead early but when you don’t do it it’s always difficult to deal with those tricky moments of the game that you don’t want to make a mistake and be far to get the three points.

“But luckily we managed to score a goal in a set-piece.

“We should have gone to the last minute with [a two-goal] advantage but it’s not easy, probably defending well, man-markings, it’s always difficult.

“But overall I think we did a good and we managed to deserve the final result.”

Riveiro concluded by stating that his side it was not easy and that they had to work hard to snatch three points away from Rise and Shine.

“It’s difficult when one of the teams seems like you need to get the initiative all the time.”

“It’s not as easy as sometimes we think it is and you’re playing with 50-60 metres behind your back and every mistake can be a threat, so you need to be really precise.

“Finding the space in the box is difficult when they are defending low blocks, you know the story, we know the story, it’s difficult but most of the time we managed to get it and today we did it again,” the Spaniard concluded.

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