Why Sundowns’ shock defeat against Galaxy was no surprise to Riveiro
Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has explained why he was not surprised by Mamelodi Sundowns’ shock defeat against TS Galaxy earlier this week in the Betway Premiership.
Sundowns suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to TS Galaxy in the Betway Premiership on Tuesday at Mbombela Stadium. The defeat against The Rockets saw Sundowns miss a golden opportunity to open a 12-point gap at the summit of the table.
Masandawana are currently nine points clear from second-placed Orlando Pirates, who have two games in hand. The Brazilians have collected 42 points in 16 matches, while Pirates have 33 points after 14 matches.
Before losing against Galaxy, Sundowns were coming from an impressive 4-1 victory over The Buccaneers at Loftus Versfeld Stadium last weekend.
WHAT JOSE RIVEIRO SAID ABOUT SUNDOWNS’ DEFEAT AGAINST TS GALAXY
With Pirates chasing Sundowns in the fierce title race, Jose Riveiro says he was not surprised by Galaxy’s victory as they have proven to be a difficult team to beat at home – Mbombela Stadium.
The Tim Sukazi team is unbeaten in 12 league matches under the guidance of head coach Adnan Beganovic.
Beganovic took over the coaching gig after the resignation of Sead Ramovic towards the end of 2024. Galaxy are occupying the fourth position on the Premiership table with 25 points after 17 games.
“The league is a marathon, it’s 30 games, and I’m going give you a couple of topics about football, but it’s the truth. There are good teams now who are in a good moment of form,” Riveiro told journalists.
“For example what happened the other day with Galaxy and Sundowns, for me it’s not a surprise because we all know how difficult it is to go to Mbombela Stadium. Even last season, I think Galaxy was the best team with home matches after Sundowns, if I’m not wrong.
“We are playing every two days. It’s the same with Sundowns, so having a bad day is something normal, human, and acceptable.”
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