Jose Riveiro admits Orlando Pirates were ‘lucky’ to escape with Champions League draw

Published on by Joel Oliver

The Bucs coach has called on his side to rise to the occasion in the second leg

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro admits his side are in a difficult position in the CAF Champions League following their failure to secure an away win against Disciples FC.

Pirates fired blanks in the first leg, which was played in Maurutius on Sunday, and find themselves in a must-win position in front of their home fans at Orlando Stadium on Friday.

Riveiro is, however, grateful that they escaped without conceding, saying Disciples gave them a good game even if his charges also failed to take advantage of the few chances they created.

“I think the opposition was excellent,” Riveiro said while reflecting on the result.

Riveiro concedes Disciples FC were excellent

“Every result could have been possible in my opinion, us winning, them winning.

“Both sides had very clear chances and it is strange that we finished the game 0-0. We could not manage to capitalise ours to get a goal advantage at least to go to the second leg with an advantage but we didn’t concede which is also important.”

Riveiro has called on his players to quickly put behind the disappointment and focus on the second leg since they have little time before Friday’s encounter.

“In less than one week, we have to finalise this round in Orlando and I know it is not going to be easy because they are a good team. We have to do everything to impose ourselves,” added Riveiro.

Sipho Chaine Image Orlando Pirates

Will Pirates come to rue their missed chances?

Tshegofatso Mabasa, Relebohile Mofokeng and Monnapule Saleng had opportunities to give Pirates a first leg advantage but missed their chances while the Sea Robbers were also thankful to goalkeeper Sipho Chaine for keeping out two good opportunities for Disciples.

Pirates are under pressure to deliver on home turf to avoid exiting the Champions League at the fist preliminary round.

The Buccaneers were eliminated from the competition at the second preliminary round last season but there has been hope that 2024-25 would be different although Sunday’s draw has left some fans doubting whether that will be possible.  

Avatar photo

Joel Oliver

Joel Oliver is a seasoned multimedia sports journalist with a rich background in covering diverse football stories and events in South Africa and beyond.
His extensive coverage spans subjects touching on the PSL, with a focus on the Big Three (Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs & Mamelodi Sundowns), Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana.