Fresh off a 2-1 victory against Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has already signalled his appetite for a rematch, expressing a keen desire to face their rivals again this season.
A stark contrast to their 4-1 loss at Loftus Versfeld Stadium last month, the Buccaneers secured a decisive victory against Sundowns in their recent encounter, effectively avenging their previous Betway Premiership defeat and showcasing their resilience.
Pirates had a flying start to the match against the Brazilians at FNB Stadium in Soweto on Sunday afternoon after Relebohile Mofokeng bagged a brace in the opening five minutes of the match. Khuliso Mudau pulled one back for Downs, which was not enough as the Soweto giants collected maximum points.
After an impressive win, Pirates coach Riveiro revealed that he enjoys facing the defending champions because it’s an opportunity for his troops to improve.
WHY JOSE RIVEIRO IS PRAYING FOR ANOTHER PIRATES-SUNDOWNS CLASH
The Spanish tactician is hopeful of more battles with Sundowns, with the possibility of meeting in the CAF Champions League and Nedbank Cup still on the horizon.
“Playing against Sundowns is not a joke; they’ve put the bar so high season after season, and this season is no exception. The amount of points they have at this point of the season is something unique,” Riveiro said.
“Whenever we have an opportunity to play teams like Mamelodi Sundowns in our league, it’s an opportunity to get better because it’s a challenge. They are a team that you try to control in some areas, as we do in every game, but they don’t take too much time to find solutions.
“So in the first game against them, we learned, and we managed to learn a couple of things in this match; I’m sure they did as well. Hopefully, this is not the last time we meet this season; we still have an opportunity to meet again in two competitions.
“If that happens, it’s going to be good news for South African football. I’m happy with the development of our young players against Sundowns, imagine what these type of games mean for [Mbekezeli] Mbokazi, Mohau Nkota, Rele [Mofokeng], and Boitumelo Radiopane.
“So it’s good [meeting Sundowns], there are a lot of positive components on this game and the one we lost in Pretoria because having those disappointments is an opportunity to grow as a team, we didn’t give up, and we’ve shown that we’re a serious team.”
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