Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has pointed out the positives from their CAF Champions League campaign after their elimination this past weekend.
The Buccaneers were knocked out by Pyramids on a 3-2 aggregate score in the two-legged semifinal.
The two sides settled for a goalless stalemate in the first leg at FNB Stadium before Pyramids came out victorious 3-2 in the second leg in Cairo.
The dream to lift the prestigious trophy under the leadership of Jose Riveiro came to an end with the Spanish coach leaving at the end of the season.
According to Riveiro, the young Buccaneers who have been mainstays in his side this season have a bright future ahead.
He believes their participation in the CAF Champions League has been crucial for their growth, with the technical team also gaining vital experience in the competition.
RIVEIRO PROUD OF GROWTH FROM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
“I'm very proud of the whole team, not only in this competition, also the long journey that we've already covered together this year. I think the qualification to the Champions League for all of them is excellent,” said Ribeiro as quoted by SABC Sport.
“Like I said before we started the competition before we started the group stage, I said we come to the Champions League with an intention to grow as a group, football players and the coach, nobody among ourselves having experience in this competition before, playing regularly with very young players.
“I think it's fantastic for the future, especially for the future of our young players who are already important players at 19/20 years old, although they have a lot of things to improve and to keep proving that they are at the level and it's very good news for the club as well because the future is looking bright for Orlando Pirates.
“Having a young squad, an ambitious one and right now with one more year of experience in a competition like the Champions League, so like I said, there's a lot of things to celebrate not today, obviously today we are sad, we are not happy but the future is looking nice for the club.”
