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Pirates coach Riveiro ‘comfortable’ with win against City
“Overall I’m happy with the performance, it was complete," said the Spanish coach after the game.
Jose Riveiro head coach of Orlando Pirates during the DStv Premiership 22023/24 match against Cape Town City at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday. (Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix)
Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says getting three points against Cape Town City in their DStv Premiership clash was crucial for the club after not doing well in their last league fixture.
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Pirates played to a disappointing 1-1 draw with Chippa United in their previous league encounter.
After that game, the Buccaneers took some break from the domestic campaign as they focussed at the Caf Champions League.
In the continental tournament, they managed to secure a place in the second round of the preliminary stages after beating Djabal FC from the Comoros 4-0 on aggregate.
Bucs had a good start in the match against City and they took the lead just inside the opening 10 minutes of the match through Zakhele Lepasa, before Patrick Maswanganyi extended the lead in the second half.
“I am comfortable with the result. We really wanted those three points, it’s been a long time since we competed for three points in the league after our time in the Caf competition. We didn’t finish the last (league) game with a good taste against Chippa. So, we really wanted to continue with a victory tonight (Tuesday). We did a good job,” said Riveiro.
“We managed to get an early lead, nine minutes into the game if I’m not mistaken. After that we had to modify certain things because Cape Town City did as well by pressing higher. It’s been long time since opponents have pressed us higher in Orlando. And they did it well, but I think we did well to get more advantage in the first half and the second half,” added the Pirates mentor.
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Riveiro also hailed Pirates substitutes, saying they played a good role in the last moments of the match.
“I think we struggled in the beginning, but it’s normal. They (Cape Town City) needed to change and find other ways to the ball. I think the contribution from our bench also helped to get control in the last part of the game,” continued Riveiro.
“Overall I’m happy with the performance, it was complete. The team was really matured I must say.”
