Penalties are not a lottery these days - Jose Riveiro

The Buccaneers clinched back-to-back MTN8 titles on Saturday night at the Moses Mabhida Stadium after the game ended goalless during 120 minutes and then had to be decided through a penalty shoot-out.

Riveiro argued when there’s enough information the success rate is higher.

"Same for both teams, we know their goalkeeper, we know the takers, the same way that they do. So, we have more influence on what's happening there. Our goalkeeper coach, our analysis department, that's what they do. So, you go there with more information and with more probabilities to succeed," Riveiro said.

The Spanish mentor had taken flack for replacing Chaine with Richard Ofori in their CAF Champions League defeat against Jwaneng Galaxy two weeks ago and the Buccaneers were knocked out.

He admits it was a gamble.

"We used to say back in the years that penalties are a lottery, right? Or at least in my country we used to say they are a lottery, anything can happen. Nowadays not anymore because of what I said before. In the Champions League game, it was a lottery for us because we knew nothing about their takers. So, we tried with a different strategy, it didn't work unfortunately but we move," explained the coach.

Riveiro once more had to explain the call he made to not rely on Chaine in the continental competition, when – in hindsight following his heroics on Saturday – the former Chippa keeper looks to be the confident of the two Pirates goalminders.

"Against Jwaneng we had to play for the qualification against a team that we know nothing about them in the penalties. There's no material, there's nothing to analyse, and you go blind. So, well we tried something different."