Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro says Mamelodi Sundowns has set the bar extremely high and lauded the impact of their youngsters after their first league win over the Brazilians in five years.
Sundowns trounced Pirates 4-1 on 8 February in the reserve fixture at Loftus Versfeld which many believed was the sign of strolling to an eighth consecutive league title and while Pirates slipped up against Marumo Gallants and Stellenbosch, there’s still reason to keep believing for the Soweto giants.
- ALSO READ: Mbokazi – We Knew They Were Not Going To Come Out Alive
- Riveiro Reacts To Crucial Win Over Downs
The 2-1 win over Masandawana at FNB Stadium, added to the defeats to TS Galaxy, Polokwane City and the recent draw against Golden Arrows, which sees the point gap at 15 between one and two in the table, with The Buccaneers having four games in hand.
Should Riveiro’s side secure those 12 points available, it would be a three-point deficit and potentially a thrilling end to the 2024/25 league season.
“Every time you… especially against good teams like Sundowns, Sundowns is not a joke, they put the bar very high season after season and this is exceptional, the amount of points they have at this moment of this season, it’s something unique,” Riveiro said.
“Every time we have an opportunity to play against teams like Sundowns in our league, it’s an opportunity to get better, it’s a challenge, difficult to control them, in some areas like in every game.
Check out the upcoming Betway Premiership fixtures and the updated log in our match centre.
“They don’t take long to find solutions. So, we learned in the first game, as we learned today – so I’m sure they did [learn some things] as well. Hopefully it’s not time we meet this season; we still have the opportunity to meet again in two competitions. If that happens, it’s good news for South African football.”
Riveiro said after the 4-1 loss in Tshwane that they knew why they lost the game, and would not make the same mistake again, and true to his words, they managed to recitify what went wrong as Relebohile Mofokeng netted a brace in the opening five minutes which steered them to victory.
“I’m so happy with the development of the team today, our young players, imagine what it means these type of games, these type of experience for Mbokazi, Nkota, for Rele as well, Radiopane, so it’s all good,” he added.
“The result is fantastic obviously, we’re here to get good results and that’s what everybody is expecting from us, but there’s a lot of positive components from this game today but also in the game we lost in Pretoria.
“Having those disappointments, it’s an opportunity for you to grow as a team, not to give up, and then show as we showed, we’re a serious team.”
