Photo Courtesy Orlando Pirates Media.
Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has admitted his side was not good enough especially in the second half of their 3-1 win against Richards Bay in the Round of 32 fixture of the Nedbank Cup at at King Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.
Drawn against the KwaZulu-Natal outfit first up, the Soweto Giants had found themselves contesting one of the trickier match-ups in the Round of 32. They began their quest for a third straight Nedbank Cup triumph away to a side that had enjoyed rare cup success against them in the recent past.
Patrick Maswanganyi scored a stunner from outside the box to put Pirates ahead before the same player made it 2-0 in the 26th minute. Yanela Mbuthuma provided a crucial goal for Richards Bay from close range when he tapped in to reduce his side’s deficit.
However, Tshegofatso Mabasa ensured Pirates qualify for the last 16 after he produced a superb turn inside the box before firing home to restore his side’s two-goal lead with very little time remaining on the clock.
“It was difficult to control the game in such circumstances and am sorry for the players to play in such conditions but it is what it is, the best thing you can get here today is the result, with no injuries and the goals,” Riveiro told Pan-Africa Football.
“I didn’t have a good second half as a coach, I think I should have made different things in order for us not to suffer too much, in some periods I was a little bit slow but the guys fought until the end for the result and to make sure that we qualify for the quarter-finals again, a lot of positives as well.
“At Pirates we try to go game by game, obviously in your planning, you need to use the players, whoever is coming from injury, we respect the fixture, we fought and won the game and now we need to celebrate in the locker room and set our focus on the Soweto derby.”
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