Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has explained why they can't afford to get carried away by a 7-1 victory over Golden Arrows.
Pirates hammered Arrows 7-1 courtesy of a hat-trick by Tshegofatso Mabasa and goals from Relebohile Mofokeng, Kabelo Dlamini, Sandile Mthethwa and Karim Kimvuidi, as revived their CAF Champions League aspirations.
However, Riveiro alluded that Arrows playing an attacking game gave them spaces.
READ | Mabasa stars as Bucs hit seven past Arrows
"Well I'm cooking ha, we scored early. It's one of the keys of the game, I think in the first 20 minutes even the opponent could find the net, they had good opportunities, they had a couple of adjustments," Riveiro told SuperSport TV.
"The game was not as easy as it looks with the score, credit to the opponent as well, they came here to play football, not to just defend, that helps also to offer a good show.
"Like I said the first-half was more equal than the 3-0 we had at half-time and in the second-half obviously they had to take risks, they are 3-0 behind and when we have those spaces with the quality we have upfront, well we were accurate today, I'm happy with the performance, the entertainment for the people in Orlando, a good day," he said.
The Buccaneers went to the break 3-0 up and Riveiro revealed that early in the second stanza he had to take out players on yellow cards to save them for the Nedbank Cup quarter-final next weekend against AmaZulu.
"Yellow card, speed upfront, players looking for duels, (Tapelo) Xoki and (Thabiso) Sesane were really busy in the first-half, we have (Deon) Hotto with a yellow, we have Tapelo with a yellow, we didn't want to take any risks at that time of the game, so ja, that's the reason behind it," he went on.
"We had to manage the result properly, because in the end it's only three points, we have to capitalize the performance but in a positive way, not thinking that every game is going to be something like today, understanding that Saturday's game it's gonna be like a final. We have to understand what happened here tonight not to get confused about the 7-1," he said.
The Spanish coach also commended the Pirates supporters for coming out in numbers.
"We have a big advantage with the rest of the opponents, nobody can cope with our fan base. I think in the last games we played here at home, they really had a good time," he said.
"We have to continue, we're playing for them, when they are in this mood with the boys they feel much more comfortable, much more confident and the possibility to play their football just grows," he added.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
