Bucs mindset wasn't right against Jwaneng Galaxy – Riveiro

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro has chalked up their defeat to Botswana side Jwaneng Galaxy in the first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary to a poor start, surmising the mindset of his troops wasn't right at all.

Zimbabwean forward Daniel Msendami scored the only goal that sank the Buccaneers in the 21st minute at Botswana National Stadium in Gaborone on Sunday, handing Riveiro his first ever defeat in cup games since he joined Pirates in June last year. Before Sunday, the Spaniard had won 11 and played two draws from 13 cup matches. The second leg is billed for Orlando Stadium on September 29.

"A cup game, a knockout game, typical. We didn't start [well]... I don't know if the approach of the mindset [was] proper to what the game requires. Our level of aggressiveness in the duels was not good enough in the first half... Jwaneng were more aggressive than us,'' Riveiro stated.

"Little by little they were pushing the game to their side [so that] they can have more hope to win it. One transition in one set-piece [that was] really badly defended [by Pirates players] allowed them to take the lead and from that, as usual we started a different game."

Riveiro sounded confident that they will overturn the deficit at Orlando Stadium. Pirates' immediate focus is on their titanic league tie against perennial champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the same Soweto venue on Wednesday night (7.30pm).

"1-0 isn't the result that we were looking for, but we knew that it'd be difficult to decide the game here for both sides. We still have to play one more game,'' Riveiro said.