Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro was pleased with his much-changed side who held off Golden Arrows to come away with a crucial victory over them on Tuesday evening.
The Buccaneers were first on the scoreboard through Patrick Maswanganyi but Abafana Bes’thende, who only had themselves to blame for not taking the game by the scruff of the neck, levelled matters through Siyanda Mthanti but it was the visitors who had the last laugh as Tshegofatso Mabasa’s half volley into the roof of the net was enough to see them come away with maximum points.
The Spaniard rang as many as seven changes to the team that beat Kaizer Chiefs in the Soweto Derby last weekend and expressed his satisfaction on how the players responded.
“Tough, difficult to play for many reasons,” Rivero told SuperSport TV.
“We struggled a little bit in the first half with the high pressing of Arrows. I think they did an extra-ordinary effort in the first half.
“They played I think a little bit that effort in the second half. I think we were much better, we managed to find different solutions in our build-up and due to that, we managed to get the lead.
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“And luckily we concede one goal when nothing was really happening on the field at that time, I think.
“But I think the team showed a lot of courage in the last part of the game if you think about the amount of fatigue they’ve been accumulating during the season.
“A lot of players coming today to the starting 11 for the first time. It’s not easy to compete here in these circumstances and I think the team showed that we came here to play serious, to get the three points and I’m so happy to see them performing like that.”
