Outgoing Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has blamed a lack of concentration as the reason why they were dumped out of the CAF Champions League in heartbreaking fashion by FC Pyramids on Friday night.
The Buccaneers were in full control, having scored two away goals, which gave them a huge advantage. But they squandered it all and allowed the Egyptians to come back from behind three times, losing the match 3-2.
Said a distraught Riveiro on CAF TV after the defeat: “We could not manage and control two moments of the game where we got the lead on two occasions and they managed to equalise immediately after our goals.
“It’s a mix of pride and sadness. We’re getting out of the competition but we do it in a good way, in a way that we have to be proud of ourselves,” he added.
In the other match played at the Cairo International Stadium, Mamelodi Sundowns rode their luck and advanced to the final after they scored a fortuitous goal at the death to make the score 1-1. Sundowns go through via the away goal.
Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso said it was all about trust: “Trust in the quality of each other, trust in the game plan we developed for the match, trust that even after going down 1-0 we can come back and score.”
“I was surprised but I understand why Al Ahly were defensive. If you look at the last nine matches we played against them, they have not defeated Sundowns. So, they had to be careful.”
