Orlando Pirates' head coach, Jose Riveiro, has been candid in his assessment of his team's heavy 4-1 loss to defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday, but he has also made it clear that the result does not necessarily reflect a significant gulf in class between the two teams.
The loss, which saw Sundowns open a nine-point gap over Pirates at the top of the Betway Premiership, was a disappointing one for the Buccaneers. However, Riveiro was quick to downplay the idea that the scoreline was a definitive measure of the difference in quality between the two sides.
With Pirates still holding a game in hand, the Spaniard believes the true gap, if any, will only become apparent at the end of the season.
"The difference between the two teams will be shown at the end of the season, then we will see if we are at the same level, if the difference is big or if it's not. But today is one game, and games can sometimes go in different directions," he told the media after the game.
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While Riveiro acknowledged that Sundowns were the better side in the first half, he also pointed out a key moment that could have altered the course of the match.
"Even though in my opinion, in the first half, Sundowns were better than us, [if] the Hotto chance went in, maybe we'd be talking about a different story in the second half. We survived the first 20 minutes of the game without conceding. The difference is never in one game. Even when we beat them in the final of the Nedbank Cup, the difference between the two teams wasn't there, right? It was 90 minutes, and today was 90 minutes as well."
Despite the scoreline, Riveiro highlighted the fact that both teams were still in a contest and that the outcome of the match was shaped by Sundowns' superior efficiency.
"They were much more pragmatic and efficient with the players in the last line, not giving us so many opportunities from the transition. Well done to the opponent, well played," but he reiterated that a single game should not define the perceived disparity between the two teams.
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