Load-shedding? Nope but Pirates coach Riveiro believes floodlight failure played part in defeat

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro believes his side was unlucky to slump to defeat against Maritzburg United on Sunday.

An 80th-minute penalty from Amadou Soukouna handed the Buccaneers a 1-0 defeat at Harry Gwala Stadium, where the visitors struggled to convert the chances they carved out.

Riveiro admitted after the game that his charges had their chances to win but simply couldn't master those decisive moments.

The Spaniard did highlight that the floodlight failure at the Harry Gwala Stadium somehow affected his charges' rhythm.

"At this moment, the summary, I think quite good at the beginning of the game until the load-shedding," Riveiro told SuperSport TV.

"After that, we were not in our best not solving well the pressure from Maritzburg in the first half, without so much depth in our attacks.

"So we didn't play so much time in that half. The second-half was totally different, only one team on the field looking for the result," he said.

"So, in the end, one detail changed the game. It looked like it was going to end nil-nil because one more time, we didn't have our day in the last minutes. And like I said, one detail changed the result for the opponent."

Riveiro continued: "Like I said the first half we were not aggressive enough in attacking the spaces behind the last line, it was a lack of depth that kept us far from Maritzburg goal.

"We corrected the situation well in the second-half, so we need to play with more determination in those moments even though sometimes it's not possible, the opponent is also doing the things well.

"I have no regrets. I think the guys gave everything one more time. I think we're going with zero points even though we deserve something else tonight," he added.

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