Orlando Pirates coach Jose Riveiro admits there was “no explanation” as to why his side didn’t score in the second half but is hopeful they can bounce back from their defeat to Cape Town City.

The Buccaneers suffered their second straight defeat in the DStv Premiership following their 2-1 defeat to City at the DHL Stadium this past weekend.

Deon Hotto opened the scoring for Pirates in the 21st minute but City equalised 10 minutes later through a goal from Juan Camilo Zapata, however, substitute Darwin Gonzálezput bagged the winner for the home side in the 74th minute as City walked away with all three points.

The defeat saw Pirates drop down to eighth place on the table – level on 19 points with City in seventh place after 15 matches played so far this season.

Riveiro says he was at a loss for words as to why Pirates could not find the back of the net in the second half, despite numerous chances in the final third.

“There’s no explanation for that [why Pirates have not scored in the second half],” Riveiro told SuperSport TV.

“If you want to go deep with the analysis, then we have to speak about the chances we create and not the number of goals we scored.

“To score a goal is a complicated thing, and I think we did enough to capitalise on our play, it wasn’t possible against a good team [Cape Town City] in a difficult scenario, but we competed very well.

“It’s been a tough beginning of the season after the break for us; it’s the second defeat in a row. We have to bounce back because that’s what the big teams have the capacity to do, and we’re not going to be an exception.”

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