Friday night, Orlando Pirates were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against AmaZulu after missing a penalty that could have radically altered their destiny.
Instead, the Pirates left their Orlando Pirates headquarters with only one match point as opposed to three. Their coach, José Riveiro, felt sorry for his central defender Nkosinathi Sibisi, who missed a penalty kick, after the game.
Sibisi demonstrated his value as a specialist in dead-ball situations for Golden Arrows, where he was a successful penalty taker. Friday, his penalty kick was saved by AmaZulu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa.
Someone must accept the penalty. “He did it, and I appreciate it,” stated Riveiro. “It is not simple to be responsible for paying the fine.
“We hope to have more opportunities and more frequent opportunities to take penalties.”
“Sibisi is a mountain. He will quickly return.
Clearly, we’re all dissatisfied with the outcome, but it’s not only because we missed a penalty.
A penalty that resulted in the night’s first setback for the Pirates. Siphesihle Maduna scored from the penalty spot for AmaZulu in the 35th minute, leaving Pirates chasing the game.
Kermit Erasmus, playing in the run-on XI for the first time since rejoining Pirates, scored the equalizer at the stroke of halftime. Riveiro, a Spanish tactician, was happy with his team’s comeback.
“Credit to the guys for their response to the goal and their aggressiveness in the second half,” remarked Riveiro.
The nature of the second half is revealed by the fact that their goalkeeper is a hero tonight.
“The most difficult aspect of football is creating clean scoring opportunities. Not ones resulting from offensive rebounds, second chances, or our offensive organization.
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We engaged in interactions amongst players in the second half. It has nothing to do with synergy or luck. I have no idea what it is.
“The fact that we did not score enough goals is what prevents us from celebrating the victory.”
The 1-1 draw extends the Pirates’ winless streak across all competitions to four matches. night.
On Tuesday, the Pirates resume to Premiership action against the Golden Arrows in KZN. Next Saturday’s second leg of the MTN8 semi-final versus Mamelodi Sundowns will be a grueling affair, and this match will act as a warm-up.