Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has reaffirmed his team's determination to challenge for the Betway Premiership title, declaring that the Buccaneers will fight "tooth and nail" until the very last match of the season.
Pirates kept their title hopes alive with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over a resilient Polokwane City over the weekend.
The crucial win narrowed the gap between them and league leaders Mamelodi Sundowns to 12 points. Importantly, the Soweto giants have three games in hand over the Tshwane outfit, who have completed 23 matches compared to Pirates' 20.
While the math still leaves room for a dramatic late-season surge, Riveiro remains realistic yet hopeful.
"Yeah, I think nobody can question that we're not trying in each and every game. I mean we are not giving up in any competition," Riveiro told the media following the Polokwane clash.
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"We want to win no matter what happened, no matter what the opponents do. We're going to try to be at the level that we must be in each and every game."
With Sundowns' latest fixture against Stellenbosch postponed due to their ongoing continental commitments, Pirates seized the opportunity to close the gap and build momentum heading into the business end of the season.
Riveiro, who has already confirmed he will part ways with Pirates at the end of the campaign, seems determined to leave a legacy of grit and ambition.
"We will try until the end, until the last day if it's possible. So we knew that today we played already a final, and it's the same for the remaining games," he said. "We know how difficult it is to be at the top in this league, and we're going to try our best until the end," he said.
Read: Riveiro Breaks His Silence On Pirates Exit
