Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has wished Mamelodi Sundowns and Pyramids well for the final of the CAF Champions League and stated it’s the mission of the Buccaneers now to start competing consistently at this level.
Following their 3-2 loss to Pyramids at 30 June Stadium, the Spaniard was quizzed whether the all-South African final chance, was a motivator for him and the squad, in which he stated he had no idea of the result between Sundowns and Al Ahly prior to their game.
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It would have been Pirates’ first time in the final since 2013, where they fell to the Red Devils – but he denied that it played any role in their intentions.
“Congratulations to Sundowns for going to the final, it’s a huge achievement, I didn’t know before the game started, they made it to the final and even if I did, we’re running our own race [it wouldn’t have been an extra motivator],” Riveiro said.
“We have enough pressure and ambition on ourselves to try to focus on each and every game with the intention to win, we’re not looking through the mirror about who is coming next.
“We only focus on ourselves in trying to do things as good as possible so congratulations to both Pyramids and Sundowns for being in the final and I wish them both all the best.”
Riveiro is set to leave the club at the expiry of his contract at the end of June but leaves behind an impressive legacy and foundation for the future with 15 members of the current senior squad under the age of 25.
Having beaten reigning champions Al Ahly in the group stage, Egyptian media had foreseen them dispatching Pyramids for a place in the final – but the Spaniard stated that the two games could not be prepared.
“It’s a football game, every is different [between beating Al Ahly in Cairo to Pyramids match], the game against Ahly was a group stage game, fighting for first place in the group, obviously it was a big game between two big clubs where nobody wants to lose,” Riveiro said.
“It was a proper one, we played against Pyramids for something big, but unfortunate for us and Ahly as well, we couldn’t make it to the final – now it’s for us to make sure we’re regularly in the stages of the competition, playing against the best and showing the amount of football talent you can find in South Africa and particularly in Orlando Pirates.
“So our mission from now is to regroup, we have an important game [against Sekhukhune] and then we go to the next – and for the club to start thinking how to make it possible again for next season and the upcoming seasons to be again, hopefully not just semi-finals but finals also…”
