Jose Riveiro bleeding from Orlando Pirates' Caf Champions League exit after blowing away chance to beat Pyramids FC - 'Tough one to swallow... It’s a very cruel result'

Orlando Pirates were eliminated from the Caf Champions League after losing 3-2 to Pyramids in a semi-final, second leg match in Cairo on Friday.

Going into this match 0-0 from the first leg, Pirates grabbed the lead and went on to score two away goals and appeared on course to reach the final.

But a late Fiston Mayele strike sank them, leaving coach Jose Riveiro a heartbroken man

“Congratulations to Pyramids for going to the finals. Secondly, congratulations to our players; our group for the fantastic performance that they gave us and all of our fans during this season,” said Riveiro as per IOL. 

“It’s been second to none, honestly. We are out of the competition [Champions League] after losing our first match in the whole tournament. A tough one to swallow, to digest, we will need a little bit of time because I think it’s a very cruel result. 

"It was a commendable performance from Pirates as they reeled off 13 shots in total, only just behind the 15 of Pyramids," added the Spaniard. 

“We played, I think, a really good game. It was a top performance away from home against an excellent team, but we couldn’t control two moments of the game where we got the lead two times, and they managed to equalise almost immediately after our goals. 

“That was probably the key that we couldn’t make it to be leading the game for a little bit longer to create a little bit more of uncertainty to the opponent and at the end of the game when the game was about to die, 2-2, set-play; well executed takes them [Pyramids] to the final, he continued.

“So it’s a mix of pride and sadness at the same time, but I guess it’s a normal thing, and we’re falling, we’re getting out of the competition, but we do it in a good way, or in a way that we all have to feel proud about ourselves.”

Before arriving in Cairo, Pirates were unbeaten in the Champions League this season, having gone for 13 games without losing.

But just one defeat proved fatal for the Soweto giants, who are now licking the wounds sustained from their exit.

Friday's result might have put a blemish on outgoing coach Jose Riveiro's exit after he had hoped to leave Pirates on a high.

Now that Pirates are out of the Champions League, they turn their focus to domestic competitions.

They are chasing Mamelodi Sundowns in the Premier Soccer League race while having also reached the Nedbank Cup final, where they will face Kaizer Chiefs, the same rivals they clash with in a PSL match next weekend.