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Riveiro – Soweto Derby Eating At Different Table

Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro says their rivalry with Mamelodi Sundowns will never be able to compete with the Soweto Derby.

Riveiro has enjoyed supremacy over this fixture in recent times, winning four consecutive fixtures out of his six overall.

Yesterday’s 96th-minute penalty from Patrick Maswnagnyi was more than bragging rights but kept them in the race with Sundowns for the title, with a neck-and-neck battle this season but the Spaniard admits this won’t make their fixture against Masandawana overtake the magnitude and euphoria of the Soweto Derby.

“Absolutely [the Soweto Derby will always be bigger], there are unique components to this game that, for me, are second to none, even if we play very key games [against Sundowns], hopefully, we need to keep this rhythm if we want to have those key games the last part of the season,” he said when asked about the Sundowns rivalry.

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“Hopefully, even with fixtures for us in the Champions League, Nedbank, why not in the league as well? But this is something special [against Chiefs]. I don’t know how to describe it, imagine people living in this first-person [experience].

“What people express to you in your neighbourhood in the supermarket, they don’t see any other games, they have been talking to me about this game since six weeks ago, nothing in the middle.

“The history of both clubs, the history of Soweto, the role, I will say — I won’t pretend to be an expert on this, but the role football has played in [South African] history, it goes beyond the meaning of sport, beyond a game.

“I think these two clubs have an important role in that history, it’s a beautiful event, it’s something that… being here once, even as a spectator, you have to feel grateful, you have to be for the opportunity – for people like me to be part of this show, it’s my sixth derby.

“I feel more than grateful, just to finalise; hopefully we will play for big things, sooner rather than later – but the derby is eating at a different table [than any other fixture].”

Pirates are currently second in the league with 10 wins and two defeats in 12 games this season.

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