Cardiff City manager Omer Riza has told his players they have to keep fighting for their lives if they are to stay in the Championship.
The Bluebirds ended a three-game losing streak with a crucial 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, offering a glimmer of hope in their fight against relegation.
The win at Ewood Park was only Cardiff’s second away victory of the season, but it lifted them to 21st in the table, just one point above the drop zone.
With the seson reaching its business end, Riza insists the team must stay focused.
"It was a much-needed win. The mentality and approach now is about getting the job done," said Riza.
"To a man, the boys did that and we got the result we deserved.
"Coming off the back of the Luton defeat [last Tuesday], we said we had nine finals. One down, eight to go."
Riza’s substitutions proved decisive in the tense contest at Blackburn.
Yousef Salech’s early goal had given Cardiff the perfect start, only for Yuki Ohashi to level minutes later.
With the game finely balanced, Riza turned to his bench, and it was Yakou Meite who provided the match-winning moment.
The forward had been on the pitch for mere seconds when he expertly guided a header into the net, securing all three points for Cardiff.
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Riza was full of praise for Meite’s attitude and resilience, particularly given the additional challenge he faced while observing Ramadan.
"The three (subs) at the end were very impactful. Will Alves, Isaak (Davies), and Yak were very impactful. Yak has been fasting as well. The output he's put out there when he's come on, it's a credit to him. Really pleased.
"He's a good boy, he works hard. He's been patient, hasn't played as much as he would like, which can be tough.
“He's maintained his professionalism, worked really hard, and it's lovely to see him come on and get the winning goal."
Meite’s performance was particularly striking given his struggles this season.
With just two goals in 28 appearances, his game time has been limited, and he has previously spoken about receiving abuse from sections of the Cardiff fanbase.
However, Riza insists he still has an important role to play.
"He's got certain qualities, sometimes it's not what we're doing as a team," Riza added.
"But he's come on today and got that winning goal, so I'm really pleased for him."
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Meite’s only other goal this season came in the 2-2 draw at Coventry City back November.
The Ivory Coast international said: "It's been difficult. I haven't played much in the past few games. Sometimes you can doubt yourself, but I never doubt my qualities.
“Today is a good example of having belief - believing what you can do on the pitch, and believing that one day it's going to be you that is going to help your team.
"When the game was open, in the last 20-30 minutes, that's when we had more space. Will [Alves], Isaak [Davies], Rubin [Colwill] and me caused them some more problems.
"There are eight games left, and we keep going as a team. The belief has always been there, because we've got enough quality.
“But as I said, the quality is not enough - we need to have that fighting mentality as well.
"Sometimes you can be better than the opponent, but the opponent still wins; not because they've got more ability, but more fighting spirit. So there are two sides of the game that we need to bring into the games, I think.
"That's why I say that if you go with quality and you go with that fighting mentality, as we just did, fighting for each other today, coming to a tough place, you can do it together.
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Every point will be crucial, and the manager is demanding his players maintain the same intensity in the final stretch of the season.
"The mentality and approach now is about getting the job done," Riza reiterated. "We said we had nine finals. One down, eight to go."
Despite the victory, Riza knows the job is far from done, especially as fellow strugglers Derby County won for the third successive match to stay within one point of the Bluebirds.
Cardiff now head into the international break before returning to face Sheffield Wednesday on 29 March.
