Jose Riveiro gives credit to “good opponent” Dondol Stars

The Soweto giants are now through to the semi-finals having toiled, but winning, against their ABC Motsepe League counterparts.

Riveiro acknowledges Stars, who eliminated SuperSport United and AmaZulu in the earlier rounds, were stubborn.

"Not what we planned but at the same time not a surprise. It's a cup game, these games are special. We faced a good team, there are a couple of PSL teams who can tell you about them. We did enough to avoid penalties but we were very unlucky today," he said.

Pirates have already clinched the MTN8 title this season, and one of their memorable moments was beating Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 in Polokwane on the way to winning the cup. Riveiro hopes it’s a good omen.

"We have good memories but again I think we struggled with Sekhukhune if I'm not mistaken. We like to play the cups, these knockout games, we really do. Last time we managed to play a good final to get our title and that's the intention with every competition," The Spaniard added.

Pirates will find out tonight who they meet in the semi-finals, a fixture that will bring them closer to bagging a second trophy.

"The team is really focused and doing everything to make our fans happy and now we have the possibility to see ourselves in another final," he concluded.