Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro expressed his disappointment with his team’s attitude following a 1-0 defeat to TS Galaxy in the DStv Premiership on Saturday.

This loss dashed their hopes of leapfrogging Stellenbosch FC into second place and strengthening their bid for CAF Champions League qualification.

The Buccaneers have now suffered consecutive league defeats, failing to capitalize on Stellenbosch’s recent setbacks. This loss follows a similar 1-0 defeat to Richards Bay last weekend. With only one point separating them from second-placed Stellenbosch, Pirates now face an uphill battle to secure a Champions League spot.

Riveiro pointed the finger at his players’ attitude after the Galaxy match, suggesting that Sead Ramovic’s side displayed a greater hunger for victory.

“I think we were not good enough to deserve better results. The better results could happen because we had chances, territorially I think we dominated the game but not playing the game that we wanted to play and we allowed the opposition to play to their strength,” Riveiro said. 

“And I also think our attitude on Saturday was not good enough, if you see the match during the 90 minutes, I think Galaxy was playing for something more important than us.”  

 The Spanish mentor continued to express his unhappiness on the manner of the loss as he gave an honest assessment on his team’s performance, a match he believes his players didn’t turn up for. 

“The attitude can not only be when you’re losing, we need to be brave with better determination like you have nothing to lose,” he said. 

“I am ready to lose games but not because the team that is in front of you is putting more attitude and fighting more. 

“It must be a football discussion, not an attitude discussion and I think today (Saturday) , for the biggest time of the 90 minutes we were not at the level the game was asking.”  

Pirates currently sit in third place with 49 points from 29 matches. Their final game of the season will be against SuperSport United at Orlando Stadium. Their fate now hinges on both their own performance and Stellenbosch’s result against Richards Bay in Durban.

Picture courtesy of Orlando Pirates

Article by Trevor Magoro