A defiant Jose Riveiro has had his say following Orlando Pirates‘ 5-4 defeat to Richards Bay on penalties in the quarter-finals of the Carling Black Label Knockout Cup on Saturday afternoon.
The showdown took place at Moses Mabhida Stadium. The game ended 0-0 after 120 tiresome minutes which led to the penalty shootout.
Riveiro was hoping to clinch his fourth successive domestic cup since his arrival at Pirates. The Spanish mentor proved his doubters wrong, serving them a humble pie as he has won three domestic cups as Bucs coach.
JOSE RIVEIRO ON ORLANDO PIRATES’ LOSS TO RICHARDS BAY
Riveiro believes that his players did everything they could to win the game, but putting the ball behind the net was the problem.
“It’s not easy to play against a low-block team for 120 minutes. I think we did a very good job but not putting the ball in the net,” said Riveiro.
“There are not many things that you can do better. It’s about getting more confident in the last minutes.
“Like I said a few weeks ago, we are doing a lot of things very well but not enough to win the games.”
The Buccaneers coach went on to say that it was not easy to play against a team that applied the “low block” approach to the game.
“It’s not easy to explain the game. 120 minutes on the ball but not scoring and to the penalties, today we were not the lucky ones,” he added.
ORLANDO PIRATES’ NEXT ASSIGNMENT
Now, Pirates will shift their focus to their next home fixture against Sekhukhune United on Tuesday, 7 November 2023.
The game between the Soweto giants and Babina Noko will kick off at 19:30 at Orlando Stadium.
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