Riveiro says Sundowns defeat is not the end of their season

Orlando Pirates coach, Jose Riveiro, says the difference in quality between themselves and Mamelodi Sundowns will only be seen at the end of the season after his side were trounced 4-1 by the Brazilians at Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Saturday.

Sundowns flexed their muscle and showed their quality against the Buccaneers as they outplayed them in all departments to extend their lead at the top of the table to nine points.

“The difference between the two teams will be shown at the end of the season. We will see if we are at the same level and if the difference is big or not,” Riveiro told the media after the match.

“The difference is never in one game, even when we beat them in the final in the Nedbank Cup the difference between these two teams was not there. They were better than us [on Saturday] to find the way to win this match despite the circumstances [poor state of the pitch].”

Despite the embarrassing defeat, Riveiro insists motivating the players won’t be difficult.

“It is game number 14, and we have to play 16 games. We have to play the CAF Champions League and the Nedbank Cup. This is just one game, it’s not nice to lose 4-1,” he said.

“It is not nice to lose here because we came here to compete and collect points. This is football, we are used to winning and losing games, so it is not going to be a problem. We didn’t lose a final, we just lost three points.”

Pirates’ next game is at home on Saturday when they take on Chippa United in the last 16 of the Nedbank Cup.