Betway Premiership

Riveiro: We were not comfortable at all

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Jose Riveiro, head coach of Orlando Pirates and Patrick Maswanganyi of Orlando Pirates during the Betway Premiership 2024/25 match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on 08 February 2025 © Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro felt his side “were not comfortable at all” during their defeat to Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Buccaneers suffered their third defeat in the Betway Premiership following their 4-1 loss to Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday.

Pirates had the opportunity to close the gap on the Brazilians, but instead, the home side walked away with all three points and opened a nine-point lead at the top of the table.

Riveiro was disappointed with his side’s showing against the league leaders and felt they found it difficult in both attack and defence.

“Disappointing with the result obviously. It was difficult to find ourselves today in this environment in both phases attacking and defending. We were not comfortable at all in the first half, two accidents put the game in a difficult space for us with the 2-0,” Riveiro told SuperSport TV after the game.

“We tried the second half to get closer, I think we managed to be better than Sundowns in the beginning of the second period.

“After the 2-1, I think the game was closer to us than them but they managed to find the net in the first occasion (thereafter) and from that moment the game was far from us.

“Like I said, the first goal was a set-piece coming from one of our players falling down, he’s provoking the action, I think that’s the origin of the corner.

“The second goal is pretty much the same was a situation where we are falling and was a transition that Ribeiro finished very well and from the 2-0 it was very difficult to get back into the game in a place like this.”