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Cape Town - Orlando Pirates midfielder Ben Motshwari insists his team will not give up in the Absa Premiership title race despite a potentially damaging defeat on Saturday in the Soweto derby against Kaizer Chiefs.
Lebogang Manyama scored the only goal of the game as log leaders Amakhosi extended their lead over their Soweto rivals to nine points with Pirates only having eight games of the season remaining.
The Buccaneers were left frustrated at the FNB Stadium as a combination of Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi and poor finishing cost them dearly.
Motshwari said in quotes published on the Orlando Pirates website: "It was a difficult game. We managed the match quite well.
"They got one chance in the first half and they capitalized on that one chance.
"If it wasn't for their goalkeeper the scoreline would have been different. He kept them in the game hence they won 1-0."
The 28-year-old Motshwari is still optimistic that Chiefs and second-placed Mamelodi Sundowns will drop enough points in the remaining games to give Pirates a way back into the title race.
Motshwari continued: "I would like to thank the supporters. They are always with us through thick and thin.
"It means a lot to us. It was good for us to go to the pitch and give our best.
"They should not give up. There is still a long way to go. We still going to fight for it. We lost against the log leaders, but this was not a title decider.
"For us, we will go back to training and fix our mistakes and come back stronger. We won't give up. We will fight. It is not the end of the road."
- TEAMtalk media
