His side may have been favourites to lift the Nedbank Cup trophy, but Orlando Pirates coach José Riveiro was quick to pay tribute to Kaizer Chiefs for winning the cup final at a packed Moses Mabhida Stadium, in Durban, on Saturday.
Image: Itumeleng English, Indpendent Media
His side may have been favourites to lift the Nedbank Cup trophy, but Orlando Pirates coach José Riveiro was quick to pay tribute to Kaizer Chiefs for winning the cup final at a packed Moses Mabhida Stadium, in Durban, on Saturday.
Chiefs beat Pirates 2-1 in the second Soweto Derby in the space of a week to claim their first piece of silverware in 10 years.
Chiefs opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Gaston Sirino converted from the spot, but the lead was short-lived as Evidence Makgopa equalised seven minutes later.
The sides remained locked at 1-1, until Yusuf Maart banged in the winner with 10 minutes remaining.
“I think they [Chiefs] had a fantastic journey in the Nedbank ... they got rid of Stellenbosch [in the quarter-finals], Sundowns in the semi-finals and Pirates in the final. So, we also have to give credit to the opponent,” said Riveiro.
“It's not only that we can say we were so bad and stuff like that, [that would mean] we are undermining the opponent a little bit. Chiefs put up a good fight today, and they did some good things and that's why they're the champions.”
In their Betway Premiership clash last weekend, Pirates defeated their old rivals 2-1, featuring a number of youngsters in their side.
Pirates then beat Golden Arrows 2-1 on Tuesday evening, and their focus would have been solely on the cup trophy match for the remainder of the week.
Now, there won’t be much time for sulking though as next up for Pirates will be a league clash against Golden Arrows, on Tuesday evening.
@Michael_Sherman
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