Riveiro hails ‘special’ season, says Pirates will keep winning when he’s gone

Orlando Pirates coach José Riveiro has lauded the commitment of his players after they came from a goal down to beat Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 in their Betway Premiership Soweto derby at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Chiefs had a perfect start when Glody Lilepo netted in the second minute, but goals from Evidence Makgopa (24th minute) and Relebohile Mofokeng (69th) secured a league double for the Buccaneers over Chiefs this season.

While Pirates remain 12 points behind Sundowns in the title race, with two games in hand, Riveiro is pleased with Bucs' performance in 2024-2025. The Spaniard, who will leave the Soweto giants at the end of the campaign, said his players proved they wanted to do something special this season by pushing hard for a place in the Caf Champions League final and to win the Premiership.

Pirates were within a goal of reaching the Caf final — they lost 3-2 against Pyramids FC in their semifinal second leg last week where a scoring draw would have seen them through on away goals.

In the league, Bucs pushed seven-time successive champions Sundowns harder than any team in the past half-decade. However, it seems increasingly likely the Brazilians — who need seven points from four matches to wrap up the title, providing Pirates don't drop points — will conclude their eighth championship in a row in their next few games.

Pirates can give Riveiro the perfect send-off if they can clinch a third Nedbank Cup title in succession — as they did earlier in the season with the MTN8 — if they manage a second successive derby win against Chiefs in Saturday's final at Moses Mabhida Stadium (3.30pm). 

“This group across the season has managed to show its resilience shouldn’t be questioned,” Riveiro said.

“They are competing in every competition. We’ve won a final [in the MTN8] and we’re competing in another final [the Nedbank Cup].

“We’re trying to run a race with Mamelodi Sundowns until the final day and we were 10 minutes away from playing in a Champions League final.

“They’re proving that they can do something special, or maybe we don’t, because there are factors that are out of our hands. However, the commitment and composure of the team are something they can keep and they will continue to win in the future.”

Saturday's victory saw Riveiro equal Stuart Baxter's record of five Soweto derby wins, which the Briton achieved when he coached Amakhosi over two spells.

The Spaniard can surpass Baxter’s mark should he guide the Buccaneers to a cup final win on Saturday.

The 47-year-old coach said he was pleased to have won five and, rather than personal milestones, would be happier if Bucs lift the cup again.

“That’s good, but there is still one more to play and hopefully [we win it]. So now the target is not because of my record, I think it is about the team.

“I think three years ago, after my first derby here, the first [post-match press conference] question was something like, ‘Congratulations, you are the first Spanish coach to lose one game at FNB', and now we are sitting here with five victories. I’m happy with the performance of the players.”

This week's fixtures 

Betway Premiership

Tuesday:

• Lamontville Golden Arrows vs Orlando Pirates, Moses Mabhida Stadium (7.30pm)

Wednesday:

• Mamelodi Sundowns vs Chippa United, Loftus Versfeld (7.30pm)

Sunday:

• Mamelodi Sundowns vs Stellenbosch FC, Loftus Versfeld (3pm)

Nedbank Cup final

Saturday:

• Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates, Moses Mabhida Stadium (3.30pm) 

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