Terse Riveiro out of answers after Pirates capitulate to Sekhukhune
Jose Riveiro was disappointed that his team lacked rhythm early on in a period where they conceded an opener that left them chasing the game in their 2-1 DStv Premiership defeat to Sekhukhune United at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.
The Pirates coach rued his team’s missed chances and suggested they might also have had a penalty awarded early in the second half when striker Tshegofatsho Mabasa went down under the challenge of Nyiko Mobbie in the box, with the score at 1-0 to United.
A terse Riveiro seemed irritated when questioned on Bucs’ lack of consistency.
The result sees them in* fourth place (Sekhukhune went to third) going into the final third of the season.
Pirates are 13 points behind runaway leaders Mamelodi Sundowns, who are cantering to a seventh title in succession.
Bucs had high hopes of a stronger challenge to Downs in 2023/2024 than last campaign’s runners-up finish by 16 points.
Saturday’s defeat seemed the final nail in the coffin for such aspirations.
Riveiro appeared not to have definitive answers for the inability of Bucs, who have won three of the last four cup trophies under the Spaniard, to mount a better offensive in the Premiership.
“A shy beginning — even though we had all the time and space to progress through the central corridor — we were very shy on the ball, just going to the sides,” Riveiro said when asked to sum up the match.
“On the sides it was easy for Sekhukhune to stop us. So we were not playing at a rhythm that we were expected to at the beginning.
“In the second half it was the same story again.
“We were passing through the central corridor to Mabasa but I don’t know exactly what happened there [with the penalty appeal].
“We conceded the second goal in one transition, and from then it was the same story — Pirates attacking, Sekhukhune kicking the ball away and wasting time.
“We tried our best. We had our chances and couldn’t put the ball in the net [and] this was the score, 2-1 — zero points for Pirates.”
Goals by Vusimuzi Mncube in the 32nd minute and Linda Mntambo in the 51st gave Sekhukhune a 2-0 lead before Mabasa pulled one back in the 56th.
Whenever Pirates have tried to put together a string of results in their two past league campaigns, they slipped up in games where they shouldn’t.
Riveiro was asked if their inconsistency was a concern.
“It’s the first time we lost a game in 2024,” was his terse reply.
Before Saturday, Bucs had drawn two games in the league and won two of their four matches since the restart from the break for the Africa Cup of
Nations. However, in their last 10 games they had three defeats and dropped 11 points from a possible 30.
The coach was asked about Bucs’ continued problems with finishing.
“It’s a scoring game. They scored two, we scored one.
“That’s why we’re going home with zero points. That’s what I can tell you.
“I already summarised the game in the first question, so everything was there already.”
Pirates meet 13th-placed Moroka Swallows in an old Soweto derby at Dobsonville Stadium today (7.30pm).
The Birds got a major boost in their relegation battle with a 1-0 win against last-placed Cape Town Spurs on Sunday.