Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has showered praise on one of his attackers following the team’s MTN8 victory over SuperSport United on Saturday night in Soweto.
The Buccaneers began their 2024 MTN8 title defence with a 3-1 victory over SuperSport in the quarter-finals at a packed Orlando Stadium.
Orlando Pirates have dominated the MTN8 under Spanish coach Jose Riveiro, lifting the trophy in each of his two seasons at the helm. The Soweto giants defeated AmaZulu FC in the 2022 final before overcoming Mamelodi Sundowns at the Moses Mabhida Stadium last campaign.
With their recent successes, Pirates have cemented their status as the Cup kings of South African football in recent years. The Soweto giants have clinched four domestic trophies in the past two seasons alone. In addition to back-to-back MTN8 triumphs, they’ve also secured consecutive Nedbank Cup titles.
WHAT DID JOSE RIVEIRO SAY ABOUT MONNAPULE SALENG’S PERFORMANCE AGAINST SUPERSPORT UNITED?
Jose Riveiro has praised Monnapule Saleng, who produced a Man of the Match performance against SuperSport.
Saleng contributed to all three goals for Pirates and he was a constant threat to the SuperSport backline with his skill and pace. The star was on the scoresheet alongside Olisa Ndah and Evidence Makgopa while Vincent Pule scored for Matsatsantsa.
“If I compare this pre-season with the past pre-season, he [Saleng] is definitely in a better space. His performances in Spain were really good; he has shown what he is capable of doing,” Riveiro said.
“He’s also surrounded by good players who are doing a lot of things for him, but I think he had a good game [against SuperSport United]; he was a permanent threat to the opponents.
“He looked very happy after the match and I think this is going to help him. We hope for a good season, as we missed him at some moments last season. So we are all happy to see these types of performances again, I think it’s been a long time since he’s been a Man of the Match.”
In the 2023/24 campaign, the Bafana Bafana international had a dip in form, which saw him play most of the matches as a second-half substitute. Saleng featured in 27 matches in all competitions and scored five goals.
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