Durban - Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro says his team didn't deserve to lose the Soweto derby following their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Yusuf Maart scored a stunning second-half goal to give Chiefs the win over their bitter rivals Pirates.
The Buccaneers were brought down to earth with defeat to Amakhosi after an impressive last two matches where they scored five goals and conceded none.
The Sea Robbers’ coach, who managed his first Soweto derby, cut a frustrated figure speaking to SuperSport TV after the match and felt that his side did not deserve to lose the match on the balance of play.
“It was a very slow game. The game was played in a rhythm that we didn’t expect from our opponent ... it was quite boring to be honest,” Riveiro said.
“Chiefs was giving us the space and defended in numbers.
"There's never one reason why you lose football matches so I have to analyse everything, but I don't believe we deserved to lose this match today," he expressed.
"The match was very equal with moments for both teams, but they were accurate in one moment and they got their goal through that."
Riveiro's men have been receiving great praise in recent weeks with their well-organised and dominant style of play earning them many admirers.
However, they failed to impose themselves on Chiefs from the beginning of the match, leading to the Spanish mentor making two half-time substitutions.
Jose Riveiro is slightly peeved after @orlandopirates loss to @KaizerChiefs in the #sowetoderby @IOLsport pic.twitter.com/jjnLjq6BlL
Pirates seemed to settle better into the game by controlling the majority of the possession, but were guilty of giving away space in behind their defence, which Chiefs were always looking to exploit.
Riveiro shouldered responsibility for his side's lacklustre start to the match and revealed that he and his team had a lot of work to do to ensure they don't suffer the same fate in the upcoming matches, including next weekend’s MTN8 final against AmaZulu.
“When you lose, you're obviously going to find a lot of reasons that led to the results but we need to analyse why our game plan didn't work in the beginning and that's my responsibility and I'll have to do it so we fix it next time,” the Pirates coach added.