Jose Riveiro: Royal AM got a little too comfortable

The Buccaneers looked to have put the game to bed with two goals from striker Zakhele Lepasa and winger Monnapule Saleng even when Royal AM pulled one back before break. 

The shaky second half is what worried Riveiro.

"A strange start to the [second-half], we started defending in a way that we don't want and that allowed Royal AM to be more comfortable than what we want opponents to feel here in Orlando when they are on the ball, let's put it that way," said Riveiro.

"But little by little we started to also create some problems and asking questions in our build-up."

Pirates lost narrowly to Stellenbosch FC at the weekend in their league opener at the Danie Craven Stadium last Saturday. 

Riveiro says there were anxious moments when Royal AM made it 3-2 through forward Mxolisi Macuphu, until substitute Bandile Bandu added a fourth for the Buccaneers. 

"It's always complicated to lose the first game of the season because you have to bounce back, and the boys did it very well today, handling the situation [expertly]," he added.

"Even though we had youngsters on the field, they were very mature, and I told them already – I'm very happy with the two performances so far."

Meanwhile, Royal AM coach John Maduka pointed to costly errors as their downfall on the night despite the fighting spirit shown later. 

"I think we made things difficult for ourselves. We made mistakes that were not supposed to be there, and playing a team like Orlando Pirates, they wait for you to make those mistakes and they punish you. The goals that we conceded, especially the first three goals, I think we're supposed to do better", Maduka claimed.