Johannesburg – Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro is sure his team will score after wasting opportunities against Maritzburg United.
After winning back-to-back matches in the Premiership and MTN8, Pirates were supposed to carry that form into the Harry Gwala Stadium on Sunday, but they capitulated as Amadou Soukouna’s late penalty gave Maritzburg three points and moved them up to seventh place in the league rankings.
The third-placed pirates were their own worst enemy on that day. They generated numerous scoring opportunities, but lacked efficiency.
This accomplishment indicates that Zakhele Lepasa, Bienvenu Eva Nga, and Kwame Peprah have a great deal of work to do this week. But Riveiro, who was disheartened by his team’s second loss of the season, believes it’s just a matter of time before his players find their rhythm.
Riveiro stated after the game, “I am content as long as we attempt to score and generate scoring possibilities, as that is the only way to score goals.”
“I am confident that when we shoot from the corner or from 40 yards out, where the goal is located, the ball will go in.
It is a matter of dynamics, and we are currently experiencing difficulty capitalizing on the scoring opportunities we generate.
Even in set-pieces, I believe we took 13 to 14 corner kicks… and that made me feel (better), but not in terms of the outcome.
Pirates cannot afford to loose points if they wish to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns for the crown given the forthcoming World Cup in Qatar. Sundowns has won the previous five league championships.
Riveiro is aware that there is still a long way to go in the season despite the fact that and are favored to win their sixth consecutive match this year.
“If we won (on Sunday), we had a chance to regain first place in the standings. “Although it’s still early, it’s always a pleasure to be in this situation,” he remarked.
“I believe the league to be even. Every game is really challenging for everyone, not just us. I believe we’ll reach the break with a smaller gap at the top.”
Prior to the World Cup break in November, Pirates will be anxious to win their first title of the season in the MTN8. Next month, though, they will meet Sundowns, the defending champions, in the semi-finals, making it difficult for them to achieve their goal.
To have any hope of defeating Sundowns, Riveiro and his players must have worked on their scoring touches by that point.
“We’ll attempt to resolve it by training hard and finding opportunities, as we did previously” (on Sunday). “It’s sad that we were unable to capitalize,” remarked Riveiro.
The absence of the Video Assistant Referee to help PSL match officials is creating worry. There have been controversial referee rulings this season. Most recently, Riveiro stated that referee Tshidiso Maruping erred by delivering a penalty to Maritzburg.
“I am not responsible for evaluating referees. “I must review and analyze my staff to ensure that we perform adequately the next time,” stated Riveiro.
@MihaliBaleka