Jose Riveiro reveals what contributed to Orlando Pirates' surprise Carling Knockout Cup exit - 'It will sound like an excuse'

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro indicated that a 'complicated' and hectic schedule was to blame following Bucs' 3-2 loss to Premier Soccer League newbies Magesi FC.

The Soweto giants were seeking an eighth win on the bounce in all competitions in Saturday's Carling Knockout clash but were shockingly kicked out of the competition by Dikwena Tsa Meetse. 

Speaking after the game, Riveiro accepted the defeat but blamed a seemingly congested schedule. 

“The feeling of getting eliminated here at home (at Orlando Stadium) is not nice, that goes without saying. But we have to accept it quickly because we play on Tuesday, SuperSport United are coming and we need to get those three points by any means,'' Riveiro said in the post-match conference.

“It's a difficult game to analyse. Whatever I say here right now is going to sound like an excuse but the schedule is complicated. We have really good players and that's why we are in every competition, not anymore after this defeat.

“We have a lot of players in national teams and that's a consequence... we are happy about that but we have to continue finding ways to perform in every competition,'' he added.

“I am not going to lie, I'll be honest if we have to rank the competitions, the league is the most important one but then when we go to these cups we always go to also offer good performances. Today wasn't bad but four, five particular moments of the game, we were not at a level that was enough to see us advance.''

Riveiro has been bedeviled by several injuries suffered by his players already this season, with Olisa Ndah having been ruled out for the rest of the year. 

Against Magesi, Pirates also missed Thalente Mbatha, who has emerged as a key player in the Spanish tactician's team, due to injury. 

After being eliminated from the Carling Knockout, the 2024 MTN8 champions will shift their focus to PSL and Caf Champions League. 

Pirates, who face SuperSport United on Tuesday in a PSL match, are left with ten fixtures in all competitions until the end of the year. 

Some of the Buccaneers' players will not get a chance to rest during the upcoming international break as they will be on national team duty.