Jose Riveiro left frustrated as Chiefs end Pirates’ Nedbank Cup reign

Jose Riveiro cut a calm but clearly disappointed figure as Kaizer Chiefs shattered Orlando Pirates’ Nedbank Cup dominance with a 2-1 win at a sold-out Moses Mabhida Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Spaniard, who has won five trophies in three years, suffered his first-ever defeat in this competition since arriving in South Africa in 2022.

More importantly, Pirates were denied the chance to win the Nedbank Cup for a third consecutive time.

“It was an ugly match, there was not so much football from both sides. We were fighting the elements, and the game was affected quite heavily by the penalty,” Riveiro said.

Chiefs were awarded a soft early penalty when Pule Mmodi went down under Deano Van Rooyen’s challenge. Gaston Sirino converted from the spot to give Amakhosi the lead.

Pirates responded through Evidence Makgopa before halftime to draw level and briefly take control of the game.

“We had to come back again. And we managed to do it,” Riveiro said.

“In the first half we were territorially superior, we only had some problems with Mmodi, everything else was under control.

“We had an opportunity to score a second, with one action of Rele in the box. But we were not rewarded with a penalty.”

Riveiro lamented the lack of rhythm in the second half as the final became increasingly scrappy and physical.

“In the second half the game was even more ugly, more physical, with more interruptions,” he said.

“In the last 20 minutes both sides with substitutes made the game a bit more open.

“And in that moment they scored the second goal. It was impossible for us to generate enough in the last ten minutes.”

That winner came via Yusuf Maart, whose powerful strike from the edge of the box restored Chiefs’ lead and secured their first piece of silverware since 2015.

Riveiro’s impressive cup run ended with two Nedbank titles and three MTN8 trophies, but no fairytale ending in what could have been a perfect send-off.

“Sorry to our players, to our fans, it’s one more final, we could not make it this time but we will be back,” said the Pirates coach.

“There’s no last dance, there’s a game on Tuesday that we have to win.”

Riveiro was referring to their final league fixture of the Betway Premiership season, where Pirates are looking to seal a CAF Champions League spot.

Saturday’s result ended a five-match winning streak in Soweto Derbies under his leadership and also stopped Pirates from completing a clean sweep of domestic cups this season.

“Congratulations to Chiefs for the trophy, and that’s it,” he concluded.

For Riveiro, the mission now is to finish strong before officially calling time on a tenure that re-established Pirates as cup specialists—and ensured they were no longer just watching from the shadows.

The trophy slipped away this time, but the Buccaneers still have something left to fight for.