Riveiro addresses Nedbank Cup disappointment: “The pity party must end now”

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro. Photo credit: PSL

Following a painful Nedbank Cup final defeat, Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has delivered a strong message to his men, stating that there is no time to dwell on the disappointment.

In a frank address during a press conference on Saturday night, Riveiro acknowledged the sting of the loss but explained the need for his troops to swiftly shift their focus and demonstrate resilience in their upcoming Betway Premiership games.

A lively Nedbank Cup final at a packed Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday in Durban saw Kaizer Chiefs edge out Pirates 2-1. Despite a dominant start that yielded an early penalty converted by Gaston Sirino, Chiefs were quickly pegged back by Evidence Makgopa's header from a Deon Hotto free-kick a few minutes later.

However, with the game seemingly destined for extra time, Yusuf Maart struck late for Chiefs, snatching the coveted Nedbank trophy.

The Nedbank Cup triumph carried immense weight for Amakhosi as they finally ended their nine-year trophy drought. The result was a bitter pill for Pirates, who not only relinquished their hold on the trophy after two successive wins but also saw coach Riveiro suffer his first defeat in a South African cup final.

In the wake of the disappointing cup final loss, Riveiro stressed that there's no room for lingering sadness, with a crucial league fixture against Golden Arrows looming on Tuesday night, 13 May.

“We have to win against Arrows in the next few days and TS Galaxy. We don’t have time to feel sorry, the pity party must end on Sunday morning. We have to start to prepare for the next match,” said Riveiro.

“It’s important to win the next match after losing against Chiefs. We tried everything to be the champions, we tried to be champions back-to-back in all competitions we are in, but Chiefs did it better than us in some particular moments, so that’s why they are celebrating.”

As much as Riveiro wants his men to focus on the league title race, their aspirations are fading as Mamelodi Sundowns have built a 12-point lead.

Nedbank Cup Highlights