Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has admitted that they did not expect such a tough challenge from their Nedbank Cup clash against Dondol Stars.
Durban — Orlando Pirates were guilty of having underestimated Dondol Stars. Jose Riveiro’s side required penalties to defeat the ABC Motsepe League side after having been held to a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes.
Even though Stars had eliminated the likes of AmaZulu and SuperSport United already from the competition, Pirates would have still thought that it would be easy path for them to the semi-finals.
“I was calm on the bench. I was quite sure that we would make it before the penalties. It’s a football game and anything can happen. If we were playing basketball, we probably would have won with a 30 or 40 points advantage. This is football and it is very complex. It’s easy and complex at the same time. These things can happen,” said Riveiro.
☠️ FT || @Dondol_Stars_FC 1 (4) – (5) 1 @orlandopirates
🥅 55' Lorch
🎙 Defender | Sandile Mthethwa
⚫⚪🔴⭐#Matchday #NedbankCup #OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/o7t54tbzk3
— Orlando Pirates (@orlandopirates) April 15, 2023
He conceded that he was taken by surprise by Dondol and that he was not expecting the game to go to penalties.
“Penalties are not what we planned. It was also not really a surprise. It is a cup game and these games are special. That is why we love cups everywhere around the world. South Africa is not an exception.
“We faced a good team. There are a couple of PSL teams who can tell you about them and we managed to do enough to avoid the penalties. To be honest, we were also very unlucky in the last touch,” said Riveiro.
After winning the MTN 8 earlier in the season, Pirates now have a chance to do a domestic double. Pirates are next in action on Saturday as they host Cape Town City in a league clash at the Orlando Stadium.
