Riveiro praises Orlando Pirates' second half, Nabi says Kaizer Chiefs ‘shouldn’t have lost’

Orlando Pirates cast another shadow over Kaizer Chiefs’ darkening season, weaving fresh heartbreak into a web of turmoil with a 2-1 triumph at the FNB Stadium on Saturday – a third defeat in five, as the once-mighty Amakhosi stumble further into the gloom.

In a season that began with promise only to falter when it mattered most, Pirates may have been wounded.

But they arrived for this clash unbroken – facing a familiar rival, whose own campaign had unravelled into disappointment.

Yet, with a rivalry steeped in legacy, this was no match for foregone conclusions.

Excitement was brewing from outside the stadium, with the thousands of fans streaming into the Calabash.

No one was giving anything away, and quietly, it was Pirates’ fans that were the more confident of the two sides as Amakhosi were hoping for what would be a surprise result to further dampen the Buccaneers’ hopes in their chase for the league title.

Goals from Evidence Makgopa and Relebohile Mofokeng dashed any hopes of a Pirates setback, as they levelled the score after Makabi Glody Lilepo’s second-minute goal.

Pirates coach Jose Riveiro expressed satisfaction with how his team regrouped and fought their way back into the match after weathering an initial period of pressure from the home side.

“It was a really good football game, with emotions from the first minute until the last one, without taking any prisoners,” Riveiro said after his side’s victory.

“It was a slow start from our side, and Chiefs got the lead very early, and they also had a couple of good chances in that period.

“Little by little we started to get a bit of control, and we started getting closer to their goalkeeper, and luckily we managed to equalise, and it was important to neutralise their lead in the first half.

“I had the feeling that we finished the first half better than Chiefs.

“But they still had a good chance before halftime to get the lead again, and the game could have changed in that moment.

“But in the second half, we were more close to the football we were playing throughout the season.”

Coming into this contest, Amakhosi had only been able to collect two points from their last five matches, and they currently sit in ninth position with 30 points. 

It’s been a season of stumbles for the Glamour Boys, a tale told too often – like a weary verse in a worn-out song – as they let another lead slip through their fingers.

And the Buccaneers carved their mark, dealing a cruel 12th blow to their disappointing season.

Chiefs mentor Nasreddine Nabi felt his side deserved something from the contest, especially after their good start to the match.

“It’s a game we feel that we shouldn’t have lost,” Nabi said after his team’s loss.

“When we look at the performances of the two teams, we started very well.

“And we feel that we had the opportunity to also kill the game when we were in our best moments – either the referee didn’t give us some calls, and we felt that we should have had a penalty when we were still leading 1-0.

“We unfortunately conceded goals when we were in possession of the ball.

“We lost it, and by technical mistakes, we conceded goals. But unfortunately, that is the reality of football.

“When we were in our best moments, we had the opportunity to kill the game. We needed to kill it and kill the confidence of the opponent.”