Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro came to the defence of Nkosinathi Sibisi following the centre-back failing to convert after stepping up to take a penalty against AmaZulu.
The Buccaneers stumbled to a second consecutive draw on Friday evening against AmaZulu at the Orlando Stadium, a match that ended at 1-1.
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With the two teams level, the home side had a golden chance to put Usuthu to the sword in the second half when Ramahlwe Mphahlelwe was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot.
Centre-back Nkosinathi Sibisi stepped up to take the spot kick but saw his shot saved cleanly by AmaZulu goalkeeper Veli Mothwa.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Jose Riveiro refused to be drawn into whether Sibisi was the side's designated penalty taker, only insisting that the defender would not be affected by the miss.
"Someone has to take the penalty, he did it, thank you [Sibisi] for doing it. It's not easy to get the responsibility [of scoring a penalty]," Riveiro said.
"Hopefully we have more chances and more frequently the possibilities to shoot a penalty."
The 27-year-old defender is no stranger to penalties, having been one of the club's regular penalty-takers during his time with his former club, Golden Arrows.
"Sibisi is a rock. He will be back immediately. Obviously, we are all disappointed with the results, but it's not only because we missed a penalty," Riveiro added.
On a positive note for the Buccaneers, news signing Kermit Erasmus opened his goal-scoring account and in doing so, ended Pirates' three-match run without a goal.
The Sea Robbers will now turn their attention to Tuesday's clash against Golden Arrows before a crunching encounter against Mamelodi Sundowns in the second leg of the 2022/23 MTN8 semi-final.
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