Riveiro sees plenty of positives as Pirates match Sundowns in first leg

02 October 2022 - 12:22
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Teboho Mokoena of Mamelodi Sundowns and Nkosinathi Sibisi of Orlando Pirates during the MTN8 semifinal, first leg match at Orlando Stadiumin Johannesburg on October 1 2022.
Teboho Mokoena of Mamelodi Sundowns and Nkosinathi Sibisi of Orlando Pirates during the MTN8 semifinal, first leg match at Orlando Stadiumin Johannesburg on October 1 2022.
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is happy with how his team managed the game in their 0-0 draw against Mamelodi Sundowns in the first leg of the MTN8 semifinal played in front of a sold-out crowd at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

Pirates went into the match as underdogs having lost their last five competitive matches against trophy machines and five-time successive league champions Sundowns.

But Spanish coach Riveiro, who joined the Buccaneers at the start of the season, was satisfied with what his team got out of the game ahead of the second leg at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on October 22.

“Intense game,” was the Spaniard's first reaction in his post-match press conference after a competitive and entertaining match that belied the scoreline.

“The game was played from the first minute until the 93rd. There was no time for anyone to rest on the field or think twice because the game for me was very fast, very quick, especially the first half.

“I think we managed quite well in the first half in the way we wanted to approach the game, controlling our opponents. I think that was quite all right but of course there’s always small adjustments and situations where they can create some trouble because they have a lot of quality. But we didn’t suffer at all I think in the first half.”

Riveiro thought Bucs’ start to the second half was a bit tentative but he was happy to see his team finishing the game stronger than their opponents, who didn’t have a single shot on target.

“The second half started in a different way, and I think the first part of the second half they created some problems with the positioning  of [Teboho] Mokoena, which was a bit difficult for us to defend in the beginning.

“But then we managed to control again and well. With the last minutes, with the fatigue, emotions and substitutions it was a different game. It was a bit crazy sometimes but we finished with a feeling we were very close to getting more advantage.

“But overall I’m really happy with our performance. With improvements I’m sure we’re going to improve as usual but like I said, overall I’m very happy.”

Not taking the four clear chances they had did not worry Riveiro too much going into the decisive second leg.

“It’s a 180 minutes game, so there are no complaints. We did our best to gain more advantage today and travel to the second leg with more advantage. It wasn’t possible, we were close but we were still creating and going for the goals.

“But it always makes me feel optimistic about the future and I don’t feel unlucky. I feel lucky in actual fact to have the possibility to play these types of games.

“I enjoyed the atmosphere, enjoyed seeing two teams trying playing football and trying to offer a good show with the full house, with both teams’ fans enjoying the day together without any conflict or problems.

“We have more games and let’s see what happens there [in Polokwane] and which team is gaining the initiative. But it’s still too early because we have to play four league games before we go there and that’s our target now.”

Pirates play league games against Sekhukhune United (October 4), Richards Bay (October 8), AmaZulu (October 14) and Golden Arrows (October 18) before they turn their attention to the second leg against the Brazilians.

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