Rare instance of Pirates edging Chiefs in stands made the difference: Riveiro

Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro could not hide his joy after becoming the second Bucs coach after Ruud Krol to complete a league double over Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs.

The Spaniard clinched this at the FNB Stadium on Saturday, where a brace by Monnapule Saleng and scorcher by derby debutant Thabitso Lebitso gave the Buccaneers a deserved 3-2 DStv Premiership victory. 

Pirates beat Chiefs 1-0 in the this league campaign's open-round derby fixture on November 11. 

Chiefs striker Ashley du Preez also scored a brace in a match watched by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Riveiro thanked the hordes of Bucs fans who came to the stadium on Saturday, saying their vocal backing made it easier for his team to secure the three points that lifted them to second place in the Premiership.

In almost every derby Chiefs fans dominate in the stands but Pirates' support in Saturday's match looked to be more than that of Chiefs. Perhaps it was the deflating last-32 Nedbank Cup loss Chiefs suffered against Milford FC last weekend, confirming a ninth season without a trophy that kept Chiefs supporters away in their usual numbers on Saturday.

Also against expectations the stadium was packed for a matchup between sides who were in sixth (Chiefs) and fifth (Pirates) place going into the game. 

It was the second time in 56 Premiership derbies since the Premier Soccer League era, from 1996, that Pirates beat Chiefs twice in a season. The only other season the Buccaneers did that was in 2008-09 under Dutch coach Krol.

But Chiefs still hold the bragging rights in terms of the number of doubles won since 1996, with four, in 2005-06, 2019-20, 2021-22 and 2022-23.

“The atmosphere today from the warm-up was something else,” a beaming Riveiro said.

“The energy at the stadium, I can tell you that it is very special. They [Pirates' fans] made it possible today.

“I think the last derby [in November] was the opposite. There was the majority of the Chiefs fans but today the Pirates fans dominated the stands.

“It's probably one of the reasons we performed the way we did because today we didn't feel there was no support when things were not going our way.

“They were supporting us all the time and cheering and not putting so much stress on the boys. They did a fantastic job to help us to come back twice. 

“It would be nice to have this kind of atmosphere in every game we play. I'm sure if we fill Orlando [Stadium], that kind of atmosphere when you play at home it makes things very difficult for the opponents. It makes things easy to run an extra mile.

“Today it was important that they played the game with us. We can play together and today they did it.”

Riveiro was asked if winning a derby tastes sweeter to him than winning a cup final, which he has done three times in his two seasons at Bucs.

“I think both are important,” the Pirates coach said.

“I don't like to [compare]. I mean one title is one title obviously. It's there in our cabinet, it's part of the history of the club. But I think derbies are also part of the history of the club and for our fans they're much more than just one game.

“But if you ask me as a professional coach, in my CV there will be trophies but I cannot put in my CV that I won the derby two or three or four times.

“But sitting here right now as a Buccaneer, I'm so proud of the guys because of what they did today in the Soweto derby. It's also going to be part of history, so that's very nice.”