Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has blamed fixture congestion for his side’s shock 3-2 loss to newly-promoted Magesi FC in the Carling Knockout Round of 16 tie on Saturday.
Pirates headed into the fixture as the only unbeaten team in the division but met their waterloo despite being heavy favourites to advance to the quarter-final.
Kabelo Dlamini and Evidence Makgopa were on target for Pirates but Delano Abrahams, Thabiso Sesane's own goal and Edmore Chirambadare gave Magesi the victory, handing Pirates a first loss of the season in all competitions, but Riveiro feels it is down to the many games his players have had to play.
Pirates coach pins defeat on packed schedule
“The feeling of getting eliminated here at home [at Orlando Stadium] is not nice, that goes without saying. [But] we have to accept it quickly because we play on Tuesday… SuperSport are coming and we need to get those three points by any means,” Riveiro said, as quoted by the Sowetan Live.
“It's a difficult game to analyse. Whatever I say here right now is going to sound like an excuse but the schedule is complicated. We have really good players and that's why we are in every competition, not any more after this defeat. We have a lot of players in national teams and that's a consequence… we are happy about that but we have to continue finding ways to perform in every competition.”
With the MTN8 already in the bag, Pirates now have the PSL, CAF Champions League and Nedbank Cup to focus on. Riveiro says his main focus now in trying to end the Buccaneers’ long wait for a league title, which they last won in 2012.
What competition is Riveiro prioritising now?
“I am not going to lie, I'll be honest… if we have to rank the competitions, the league is the most important one but then when we go to these cups, we always go to also offer good performances. Today wasn't bad but four, five particular moments of the game, we were not at a level that was enough to see us advance,” added Riveiro.
Pirates will now turn their focus to Tuesday’s PSL clash at home to SuperSport United, seeking a fourth straight league win.
