Ex-Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has reacted to his first official game in charge at Al Ahly against Lionel Messi’s side, Inter Miami, in the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Egyptian giants played to a 0-0 draw with Inter Miami in their opening game of Group A of the FIFA Club World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday night.
The Spanish mentor was appointed as the head coach of Al Ahly last month following his exit from the Buccaneers, where he spent three seasons.
Riveiro joined the Red Devils on a two-year deal, succeeding Marcel Koller, who was shown the exit by Al-Ahly following their defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League semi-finals in April this year.
WHAT JOSE RIVEIRO SAID AFTER HIS FIRST GAME AS AL AHLY COACH
Riveiro, in his first competitive game as Al Ahly coach, lamented the opportunities his team missed, citing that playing outside Egypt comes with its own challenges.
“This was my first official match in charge of the side, and obviously it’s very different to playing in Egypt. I’m very happy to be here, representing Al Ahly. Hopefully, things will go our way in our next match,” said Riveiro as quoted by the FIFA Club World Cup official website.
“We made some mistakes and missed some good chances. If we’d been able to score some of them, the game would have been totally different.
“We were in control in the first-half, but our performance dipped a bit in the second, when we had some issues in transition and misplaced a few passes. However, there are plenty of positives to take away from the match, as well as a few areas we know we can improve.”
He added: “Inter Miami are a great side. In the first-half, we did what we needed to and were the better side, but we dropped off a bit in the second-half because we knew they’d come out strongly after the break. The humidity got to us a bit too, but at least we got a draw in the end.”
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