Riveiro is the new cup king of South African football

Jose Riveiro’s remarkable record in domestic cup competitions is a thing that may be studied by South African football aficionados in the future as he stands on the cusp of a fifth knockout trophy in six attempts since his arrival in the Premier Soccer League at the start of the 2022-23 season.

The Spanish coach is seeking to lead Pirates to an unprecedented third MTN8 title in a row – a feat never achieved before by any club or coach – as he prepares to face Stellenbosch FC in Saturday’s 2024 final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

It is part of a remarkable run of success in which he has only lost one out of 20 cup ties across the MTN8, Nedbank Cup and Carling Knockout.

And even then his side were not beaten as they succumbed to a penalty shoot-out loss to Richards Bay following a 0-0 draw in the Carling Knockout quarterfinals last season.

He has never lost a tie in the MTN8 or Nedbank Cup, though his only outright defeat in a cup game came in the second leg of last season’s top eight semifinals when he went down 1-0 to Stellenbosch, but still advanced to the final on the away goals rule after a 2-1 away first leg win.

Riveiro has won 17 of his 23 cup ties, to go with five draws and that single defeat. Pirates have scored 49 goals and conceded only 13 in that time.

Pirates have another notable feat. They have met Mamelodi Sundowns in four of those 23 games and kept them scoreless in all but one. Better than that, they have won the tie on each occasion, including in MTN8 and Nedbank Cup finals.

Ominously for opponents, Riveiro seems to be getting more out of his side as time goes on.

Their scoring rate is improving and while they struggled past opponents in the early part of his reign, they have been far more dominant last season and so far this one.

They dispatched SuperSport United 3-1 in the MTN8 quarterfinals and Cape Town City 3-1 on aggregate in the semis.

While Sundowns continue to win the league with ease, there is no doubt who are the current cup kings in the local game, with Pirates now having yet another final to look forward to.

JOSE RIVEIRO IN SOUTH AFRICAN CUP COMPETITIONS

2022 MTN8 QF: Royal AM 1-2 Orlando Pirates

2022 MTN8 SF, 1L: Orlando Pirates 0-0 Mamelodi Sundowns

2022 MTN8 SF, 2L: Mamelodi Sundowns 0-3 Orlando Pirates

2022 MTN8 F: Orlando Pirates 1-0 AmaZulu

2023 Nedbank Cup L32: All Stars 0-2 Orlando Pirates

2023 Nedbank Cup L16: Orlando Pirates 2-1 Venda FC

2023 Nedbank Cup QF: Dondol Stars 1-1 Orlando Pirates

2023 Nedbank Cup SF: Kaizer Chiefs 1-2 Orlando Pirates

2023 Nedbank Cup F: Sekhukhune United 1-2 Orlando Pirates

2023 MTN8 QF: Orlando Pirates 5-0 Sekhukhune United

2023 MTN8 SF, 1L: Stellenbosch FC 1-2 Orlando Pirates