- Pirates beat SuperSport 1-0 on Saturday
- Lorch and Saleng struggled in the match
- Coach Riveiro defends his two players
WHAT HAPPENED? Riveiro’s two stars endured a difficult afternoon as Pirates laboured to a 1-0 victory over SuperSport at Orlando Stadium on Saturday. The Buccaneers needed a Tapelo Xoki penalty to secure three points against a stubborn Matsatsantsa.
It was a match in which Lorch and Saleng struggled to impose themselves, with the former being substituted in the 76th minute while the latter played the entire game. But Riveiro has described Lorch as “having a good time” in that match while Saleng was equally “crucial” to him.
WHAT RIVEIRO SAID: “Like I said I think they [SuperSport United] modified their approach because of the amount of runs made by Lorch in the right wing, in the second half, he was having a good time there,” said Riveiro as per KickOff.
“The contribution of Monnapule and Thembinkosi was crucial and the ones that came from the bench. Again how do we measure which one was more important? I think when you manage to get a good result and this level of performance for 90 minutes you can only be proud of the whole squad.
“Even the ones who were watching the game upstairs because they all participated in the game preparation. Probably not our best game in terms of chances and all of these things but the team that we had in front of us is not a joke.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Saturday’s performance by Lorch and Saleng showed how the two stars have been blowing hot and cold this season. In one match, the two would be on fire, terrorising defenders and in the next, they are anonymous.
As Pirates have now entered a crucial stage of the season chasing a top-two finish and the Nedbank Cup trophy, top performances by Lorch and Saleng would be key. They have the capacity to decide a match with five-star performances.
STORY IN TWO PICTURES:
Backpage
BackpagePixWHAT NEXT FOR SALENG & LORCH? Saleng is currently in the Bafana Bafana camp preparing for the upcoming back-to-back 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Liberia.
Lorch did not make a cut into the South Africa squad and will be training with Pirates preparing for their next game against Richards Bay when PSL action returns.
