Orlando Pirates are leaving no stone unturned in the Caf Champions League. But such is the humility of coach Jose Riveiro, he knows they haven’t reached the promised land yet.

Pirates entered the second-round robin of the continental showpiece on a menacing note, beating Stade d’Abidjan 3-0 at Orlando Stadium over the weekend.

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The gallant performance not only saw them go unbeaten in Group C after two wins and two draws, but it ensured they top the group with eight points as well.

And with two matches remaining – against CR Belouizdad at home this weekend and away to Al Ahly on January 12 – Pirates are one win away from reaching the quarter-final.

A quarter-final berth would be a milestone for the Sea Robbers given the fact that the last time they steered themselves to those clear waters was in 2013 when they lost to Al Ahly in the final.

But despite proving to be no pushover in his second bite of the cherry in the Champions League, following a qualifiers’ exit in his maiden season, Riveiro is keeping his feet on the ground.

“There are two more games to play. It is in our hands to find ourselves in the quarter-final. But there are still a lot of things to do,” said Riveiro after the win over d’Abidjan.

“It is not done, not even close to advancing to the next round because we still must play two more tough games.

“But today we have proved that we can compete in a good way with everybody one more time. It is not the first time we have done it, and the guys showed it.”

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⚽️ ⒼⓄⒶⓁ: Relebohile Mofokeng with an opener for The Sea Robbers!

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Indeed, Pirates have shown they can compete with any team on any day. Riveiro has put so much faith in his troops so much so that he believes that some as long as they “are good enough, they are old enough”.

Relebohile Mofokeng, 20, has been the team’s jewel, defying his age to help Pirates win the last two trophies – the Nedbank Cup and MTN8 respectively.

After Mofokeng, Mohau Nkota entered the fray. The 20-year-old also didn’t waste time in getting the Ghost to eat out from the palm of his hand thanks to knack for goals and runs.

So given the trust that Riveiro has shown in youngsters – particularly the club’s development products – he believes the world is their oyster.

“We finished the game today with five of our DDC players. But they are accumulating these experiences to know how to compete at this level,” Riveiro said.

“They’ll be able to challenge the clubs that we are challenging right now in the group. It’s about ambition, dedication, commitment.

“We went through a difficult moment where you still had to show that you are a professional football player during a time when people are having festive days.

“They (people) are having parties, and fun. But this group continued to work hard each day (to get better as a team).”

Pirates will not rest on their laurels. Riveiro wants them to ensure that they churn out their best week in and week out across all competitions.

And with their next game in Africa on Sunday, Riveiro has pleaded with his troops to put all their focus on the Betway Premiership clash away to Cape Town City on Wednesday.

“Because we are committed to our goals, nothing (the hard work) is going to change now because we are temporarily - until the next feature and hopefully the end - top of the group,” he said.

“It’s something nice, and something to be proud of. And we are proud of that because no one is giving us something for free.

“We can’t keep talking about the Champions League because we know that we have a game in Cape Town, which will be difficult. So, our minds are on that game.”

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