Riveiro hails Pirates supporters after win over Swallows

Jose Riveiro praised Orlando Pirates “beautiful” supporters, as the fans returned for the Buccaneers’ 1-0 victory over Swallows FC at Orlando Stadium on Saturday.

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A debut goal from Beinvenu Eva Nga was enough to secure a victory for Pirates, in front of a healthy crowd, with fans finally allowed to fill stadiums to their capacity, following the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the supporters burst into song after the match, Riveiro told SuperSport TV: “It is beautiful, hopefully game after game more people come into the stadium. We need them, it is nice to play with them, I am very happy.”

The Spaniard was also satisfied with his side’s performance in his first official match as head coach, as they held off a second half fightback from Swallows to seal the three points.

“We can always do it better, there was a moment in the second half when we didn’t control the game as we would like to do. But credit to our opponent, they were trying to find a soloution after half time, and we took too much time to start performing in the second period.

“But I think in the first 20 to 25 minutes of the match we showed a good version of ourselves.

“Even in the moments we were not comfortable, we were controlling the game and competing well … I am happy with the performance.