On the rise
DURBAN - Orlando Pirates coach Josef Zinnbauer believes that his team are finding their rhythm.
The Sea Robbers notched their fourth successive win in all competitions on Saturday afternoon as they recorded a hard fought 2-1 Premiership victory against Supersport United at Orlando Stadium.
They are also now unbeaten in their last 10 games in all competitions.
Pirates showed fortitude to come back as they went behind early in the game with Teboho Mokoena opened the scoring for Supersport.
“It’s a good result but it was not easy.
“We know Supersport is a very tough and good team, in the past we’ve always had problems against them,” said the German after the game.
Despite dominating possession, Pirates were unable to create many goal scoring opportunities in the first half.
However, they did come to life in the second half.
“When we came out in the second half we moved forward.
“The game was up and down for both teams but I think we had the better opportunities and in the end we got the result we wanted.
“It was a good result for us,” the coach added.
Zakhele Lepasa drew the Soweto giants level in the 51st minute from the penalty spot. Both sides played a cautious brand of football for most of the game, which was sparked to life in the last 10 minutes.
Tshegofatso Mabasa notched the winner for Pirates with three minutes to spare as he took advantage of a misunderstanding between Supersport goalkeeper Ronwen Williams and defender Luke Fleurs.
Mabasa’s awareness and speed proved costly for Supersport as he struck the ball into the net, giving Williams no chance to recover.
“We have a strong squad. We saw it in the game and with the new players,” said Zinnbauer.
“We could not work with each other in the last two weeks. Some of the international players were not here, which was not easy, but this is not only the case in South Africa.
“We have good results now and we believe in ourselves. You get good results when you believe and belief is what we need,” he added.
Pirates’ next Premiership clash will be against Baroka FC at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday night.