Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro says the players he introduced cannot be questioned over their defeat to Magesi.
The shock Carling Knockout exit was their first defeat of the 2024/25 season in their 12th game across all competitions.
Selaelo Rasebotja and Karim Kimvuidi earned starts in a game that was dominated in all aspects by the home team at Orlando Stadium, except the scoreline, as they had 30 shots on goal, to Magesi’s three in the 3-2 defeat.
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“We have a big squad full of talent, sometimes those players come in games where we manage to get the result and then nobody gets the attention on that, only when the result is not coming [like against Magesi],” he said.
“So, we’re all responsible for not being in the next round, the coach, the players, the senior players more than the others, so we have to share that responsibility together. We as coaches sit here and we’re the man responsible.
“It’s true, we have the biggest responsibilities when things aren’t working. But I think one more time, I think when the game was not decided when the game was 0-0 in those first 30 minutes of the game… I think Pirates were superior.”
Riveiro was impressed by the former SuperSport United midfielder who was brought into the starting line-up due to the injury of Thalente Mbatha, while Kimvuidi was brought in to replace Patrick Maswanganyi.
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“With Rasebotja helping us playing forward quite a lot, Karim was threatening every time he received the ball, with more than less fortune, receiving the ball in difficult areas, he did it, asking for the ball all the time, it’s what I like about them,” he continued.
“They have the right mentality to be part of this group and again, the same way that two weeks ago we were sharing celebrations together, we have to take the result, disappointing result, hold it together, not one individual or two and make it ours, it’s our defeat.
“With all the respect to the opponent, sometimes they are superior, you have to accept it and okay… but we created our own problems when we allowed the opponent to be 2-0 up, so we have to accept it, swallow the result and make it useful for the future.”