Orlando Pirates coach Q+A

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro cut a disappointed figure after his side went down in Saturday’s Nedbank Cup, ending his winning run in the competition as he comes to the end of his tenure with the Buccaneers.

This is what he said at the post-final press conference after Chiefs snatched a 82nd minute winner to end their long trophy drought:

“It was an ugly match. We didn’t see too much football, both sides were fighting the elements. The game was affected quite early by a penalty and we had to try to come back one more time but we managed to do it. I think in the first half we were territorially superior, only some problems to deal with (Pule) Mmodi on the left, but everything else, I think it was quite under control from our side.

“We had an opportunity to score a second goal but Relegobile’s (Mofokeng) action in the box was not rewarded with a penalty. In the second half, the game became even more ugly, more physical, more interruptions with little momentum in the last 20 minutes.

“When both sides put subs on, again it became a little bit more open, but not really under control and in that particular moment, they managed to score the second goal and it was impossible for us to generate enough in the last 10 minutes. That's it really. Congratulations to Kaizer Chiefs for the winning trophy.”

Jose Riveiro struggles to hide the pain ☠️🗣️#SSDiski | #NedbankCup pic.twitter.com/bqNzkPXaON

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) May 10, 2025

Do you feel like your long schedule this season worked against you?

“There's no way I can measure the impact of the schedule. It’s a subjective reflection. If we go to the data, probably, I can give you a better explanation. We are in the end of the season, we are in May, we are playing the last games of the season. But there's nothing we can do. We have a lot of games in our legs because we have been doing very well in every competition. We are very lucky to play tonight. I think it's our game number 44 or somewhere around that number (48 in fact).

“But it's for a good reason because we had a long run in the Champions League, we had a long run in the Nedbank Cup, we had a long run in the MTN8. But we managed to compete very well in every competition, so it can never be an excuse. We have to deal with the fatigue, we have to deal with all the elements in front of us to be what we want to be … cup winners. Today, we couldn't do it.”

You have come from behind before to win big games. Was there a part of you that believed that your boys would do it again after you went behind early?

“What you are saying is an accumulation of experiences in big games where most of the times things don't start for us the way we want it, and we have to show a special character, the special courage and resilience, and today was yet another.

“We arrived in the last stages of the game, probably not as sharp as usual. Chiefs were really pushing and putting the game more close to Sipho (Chaine) than (Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper) Brandon Petersen and in that particular moment, I think they were better than us. And we couldn't manage to arrive in the last part of the game, spending more time in their side.”

What’s tougher, losing the semifinal in the Champions League last month in Cairo or today’s final?

“Both. Both. Yeah. Again even against Sekhukhune recently. And you know, each and every game that we lose hurts. You can ask the players the way they feel and for me is the same. For me, every game is an opportunity to beat somebody, and when you don't do it and you are competitive, you don't sleep.

“I understand that today was a big game, it's a final that we’ve lost. And tomorrow we go again because Tuesday we're going to face a test one more time in the league (at home to Lamontville Golden Arrows). This is football, this is competition. And losing a final like today is an opportunity for everyone, everyone to understand how difficult it is to win the finals and what this group did in the past five finals in a row, is something exceptional, it's something that we have to give value to, but going back to your question, I cannot tell you which one is more painful.

“The pain is the same because the way you visualise your day, today is different than the way that is going to end. Now we have to beat Arrows in a few days and then play TS Galaxy and so on. Like I said, we don't have to feel sorry. The pity party ends tomorrow morning and we start to prepare for the next one because it's important to win the next match after a day like today.

“We'll cry a little bit tonight, metaphorically, and tomorrow we have to regroup, we have to travel back home, we have to recover. Like I said, we cannot feel sorry for ourselves.”

How do you just sum up your legacy as Pirates coach?

“That's going to be for you to do in the future, and the fans but for me, the importance is my players. I don't really mind about everybody else's opinion. The only things that matters for me is what my players and the people who work with me think about me, as a person, as a coach and that's the legacy for me.

“Then there's the fans, who I think are extremely proud of the development of the club in these three years, the dignity, the professionalism, the competitiveness of this group over the three seasons.

“The trophies as well as the experiences in the Champions League, and the new players to admire, to have in their hearts. There's a lot of positive things about my club, about my team. And that's the most important thing. But for me personally, I just want to be remembered by these people as a good person, that's it.”