Twist in the tale? Blunt Pirates held by Durban City as Sundowns handed lifeline

[p]It means a nail-biting final fixture next Saturday if they are to claim a first championship since 2011/12.[/p][p][b]Down to the wire[/b][/p][p]Only one team came to play, that was evident from the start. But fair play to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/durban-city/jVI6SFig/"]Durban City[/a], who have all but secured a top eight place, and the onus was not on them to go for it.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/orlando-pirates/p4SF9EMI/"]Pirates[/a] are the ones chasing the league title and it was up to them to break their opponents down, but they could not do that.[/p][p]The point does nothing for the Soweto side, they could have lost and the equation for them in the final round would have been the same.[/p][p]Sundowns have been handed a lifeline and Pirates must now go to a desperate Orbit College on the final day and win. Anything short of that and The Brazilians will claim the league title for a ninth season in a row.[/p][p]If Pirates do not win the league, they may look back on home games such as this one, and draws against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/siwelele/x6s5gTDd/"]Siwelele[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/richards-bay/noDZhkBM/"]Richards Bay[/a], as stumbles in the campaign that cost them dearly.[/p][image alt="Betway Premiership standings" id="2223e529-163f-422b-9ad3-43acd924817b" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="3883b166-b014-4ceb-bdec-a93f1862300e" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p][b]Tepid first half[/b][/p][p]Pirates created little in the way of chances in the first half, relying on long-range efforts that never really tested City goalkeeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/asare-fredrick/voUovNA7/"]Fredrick Asare[/a], who has been handed the number one jersey since [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/keet-darren/xCAJB0Bh/"]Darren Keet[/a] announced his retirement after the Nedbank Cup final.[/p][p]Pirates enjoyed 76% of the possession but mustered only two shots on target and an xG of 0.20. City had one shot in total, which was off target.[/p][p]The Buccaneers looked a little nervous and unwilling to throw themselves forward against a very organised defence and a visiting side capable of catching them on the break.[/p][p]Pirates did have 10 corners in the first half, the most by any side in a single half this season, but were unable to create a scoring chance from them.[/p][image alt="Match statistics" id="4564982e-4c4e-4df3-8feb-ab7e31fde035" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="eaa37f0f-d92a-4b0b-88fe-d9df3cd5b30b" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p][b]Blunt Pirates[/b][/p][p]It was more of the same in the second half, though Asare saved well from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mofokeng-relebohile/hx20yWyp/"]Relebohile Mofokeng[/a]’s free-kick, while Oswin Appollis blazed over with a difficult chance from a tight angle.[/p][p]The same two players created further opportunities, but a mixture of good goalkeeping and wayward shooting kept Pirates scoreless.[/p][p]It had the feel of a game where they could have played another 90 minutes and still not scored, though not through a lack of trying.[/p][p]Pirates had been prevented from scoring only once in their previous 16 matches in all competitions, which was against second-tier Casric Stars in the Nedbank Cup. The last team to stop them scoring in the league was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sekhukhune/UySmgAPp/"]Sekhukhune United[/a] in a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/orlando-pirates-p4SF9EMI/sekhukhune-UySmgAPp/?mid=nXGGeFNp"]0-0[/a] draw in January, while the last side to do so at Orlando Stadium was also Sekhukhune in August ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/orlando-pirates-p4SF9EMI/sekhukhune-UySmgAPp/?mid=4GDJYrUF"]0-1[/a]).[/p][image alt="Player ratings" id="8984171f-cd4b-4c3c-b177-b5e1fde21d2f" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="cc488d07-4cc0-4bd8-aea0-09f537833359" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p][b]Top eight for Durban City[/b][/p][p]The point more or less secures a top eight place for Durban City ahead of their final game of the season at home to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/amazulu/4jYGJsW7/"]AmaZulu[/a].[/p][p]They could still mathematically be caught by Siwelele and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/stellenbosch-fc/fJsWcA5b/"]Stellenbosch FC[/a], but that seems unlikely given their superior goal difference.[/p][p]It has been a fine season for the promoted club, winning the Nedbank Cup and earning a place in next season’s MTN8. That is perhaps beyond their wildest dreams at the start of the campaign, when survival would have been the major objective.[/p]