Riveiro proud of his Pirates charges after Cup victory

Winning the MTN8 final made Orlando Pirates Jose Riveiro very proud of his charges, but, lifting that trophy was more than just about making him proud.

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It was also about him being able to restore the trust that the Pirates fans had in him following some poor results prior to the final.

The Soweto giants went into the final following a run of unconvincing results, which saw the team being written off in some quarters over their chances of lifting the title against an exceptional Mamelodi Sundowns team at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday.

Pirates had lost three games in a row and were then knocked out of the Caf Champions League by Jwaneng Galaxy, which made it very hard for many to believe if they would be able to cause an upset against Downs.

But, Riveiro’s men were determined to defend the trophy they won last season as they managed to hold Sundowns to a goalless draw after extra time before winning the match 3-1 on penalties.

The 48 year-old Pirates coach says it was difficult playing in a strong wind for both sides in Durban, but he was happy to see his charges fight all the way.

“I feel proud. Proud of the performance of our team tonight. It was difficult, not only because of the level of the opponent, which we all know. But I think it was a pity for both teams. We had to fight with very difficult conditions (strong wind) to play football,” said the Bucs coach.

“It’s a different game when you play against the wind and when the wind is on your side. Neither team managed to play consistently the way they wanted to play due to that. In the second half, we suffered a lot when we accumulated fatigue, and against the level that they had on the ball and the speed in their passing.”

Having only arrived in the country prior to the start of last season, Riveiro has now played in three finals and won all of them.

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Last season, he steered Bucs to the MTN8 title and the Nedbank Cup. And now this season, he has managed to defend the MTN8 trophy and he says it was all about who it most on the day despite their poor results in their previous games.

“If you really want it more than the opponent, then you are much more closer (to getting a win). I think Pirates won because of the way we played in the final. Football is not only about possession and passes. Sometimes you need some other things and today we did it well in that sense,” he added.