'You don't want to know': Pirates coach Riveiro admits to being stressed ahead of final

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro admitted his stress levels were high from feeling the pressure ahead of his team's MTN8 final penalties victory against Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday.

Bucs had lost three league and cup matches out of four going into the final against trophy machines Sundowns at Moses Mabhida Stadium. They were also wallowing in 14th place in the DStv Premiership, though having only played five games when most sides have notched up eight or nine.

Speculation was Riveiro, despite his team's exciting football, might come under pressure if they failed to retain their MTN8 trophy.

Bucs gritted out a 0-0 scoreline after extra time in Durban in difficult windy conditions, on a below-par pitch, and goalkeeper Sipho Chaine made three saves in the shoot-out for a 3-1 penalties victory.

The usually calm and collected Riveiro admitted he was stressed going into Saturday's decider.

“How much I was stressed, you don't want to know,” said the coach who has now won all three successive domestic cup finals he's been involved in since arriving in South Africa at the start of last season.

“Look, this is not an easy job. Obviously when you get two or three [negative] results you don't want to panic and change everything or look for several different solutions.

“Like I've said many times, the pressure is something that helps us keep going and improve and I don't have a problem with that, to be honest. I don't have to sound arrogant or something.

“I just try to believe in what we do and when you know what you're doing and know what you want to do, there's no pressure. There's only one way you trust and you try to convince the players that same way.

“But for me it's very important that players don't feel that the leader gets nervous or doubt or stuff like that. We tried to continue the same way.

“This is football and I'm not going to say how we felt in the last two weeks but [on Saturday] we're suddenly champions. The difference is 10 days in between.

“So, I think we were not that bad one or two weeks ago and we're not that good today.”

Pirates have a break from action until their Premiership fixture against Polokwane City at Orlando Stadium on October 27.