Riveiro Hails Chaine For Being The Hero On Penalties
Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro is impressed by the character demonstrated by goalkeeper Sipho Chaine in nail-biting penalty shootout scenarios after his heroics against SuperSport United in the Nedbank Cup quarter final win at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.
The 28-year-old shot-stopper, who made a blunder for Matsatsantsa’s leveler in the first half, came clutch in the shootout, saving Vincent Pule and Christian Saile’s penalties to help the Buccaneers to advance to the semifinals of the Nedbank Cup.
Chaine also played a crucial role in Pirates’ double last season as he saved three consecutive penalties against Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 final, before saving a first half spot kick from Lucas Ribeiro in the Nedbank Cup final against the Brazilians again – a match Bucs went on to win.
Following his recent exploits, Riveiro heaped praise on the Bafana international, along with the goalkeeping department for their important role in critical moments as they aim to clinch the Nedbank Cup title for the third season in a row.
“It’s his role in a penalty shootout, he has to stay there in between the posts and try to catch at least one more than the opponent and he’s been doing well in that particular scenario in recent occasions where we have to go to the penalties,” he said.
“And today [Saturday] again he did an excellent job with the analysis department, with the goalkeeper coach and with everybody in that space helping him make the right decisions.”
On securing their semifinal spot via penalties, the Spanish tactician made an honest admission that the Tshwane side is a tough opponent to play against, particularly on a field that suits their style of play like the Old Peter Mokaba pitch.
“It’s always difficult to play against them, every game we play against them is a headache [because of] the quality of their players. Like I said before the game, they can find a goal in many different situations and many of those situations are difficult to control as a collective,” Riveiro added.
“And in a field like this one, it fits very well for the type of football they want to play in the last 30 meters and like I said in the post-match interview, I think we were wrong in our positioning in the last minutes.
“We allowed players like Bradley [Grobler], [Vincent] Pule and Christian [Saile] to have contacts on the ball in areas close to our box and the end, they punished us. It’s a difficult team, I wish them all the best, still we have to play them one more time.”
The defending champions will await their fate in the last four, with the draw set to take place after the match between Durban City and Marumo Gallants on Sunday. Pirates will now switch their focus to the Betway Premiership where they are set to visit Stellenbosch FC on Tuesday.
