Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro says it was one of their primary objectives to rub shoulders with the African giants this season.
Pirates secured a place in the group stages of the CAF Champions League after a 3-0 aggregate win over Jwaneng Galaxy, exercising the demons of the previous season where the Botswana Premier League champions dumped them out of the competition.
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And they did it with professional displays, scoring seven goals, and conceding none in their four games in the preliminary rounds.
“For us, it was one of our main objectives to be in the group stage, it’s something that we have to replicate every year, it’s very important to be there with the best teams on the continent,” he said.
“It’s important for the group. We have a very young team, I think for most of them, it’s their first time in the group stage of the Champions League. It is for the coach, it’s the same case – the first time in the group stage of the Champions League.
“We are really satisfied with our performances, four games, four clean sheets, zero goals conceded, we’ve scored a good amount of goals. I think it’s a good performance…”
Having won two MTN8 titles, two Nedbank Cup titles and in the final of the MTN8 again this season, the league and Champions League has been a major talking point of Riveiro’s shortcomings.
The Spaniard admits, taking a new step into his career at the club, for which he is grateful to be at, is exciting in his third season at the Soweto giants.
“It’s special for me, as you can imagine, not everyone has the opportunity to coach Orlando Pirates, first of all, it’s the first thing that makes me feel fortunate,” he said.
“That’s why we are there [qualified], we have a fantastic group, and they are taking us to the group stage. As a coach I’m proud of the work we have done so far in these four games, we were extremely competitive.
“Trust me, I know really well how difficult it is to play preliminary rounds and to play games that you can only lose. Everybody feels you already won the moment you see who’s coming, the team you get in the draw.
“That’s our case most of the time, we have to win games we already won before the game start because people think it’s easy, it’s a piece of cake. It’s so complicated! The whole environment is telling you it’s done, you will make it.
“Even though we’re adults and we try to not allow those comments to surface, sometimes it’s complicated for our boys to do the same, the proof was last season and how difficult it was [to beat Galaxy].”
