Have Pirates Quietly Built a Better Defence Than Sundowns?
Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns remain neck-and-neck on 25 points in the Betway Premiership, but a surprising subplot is beginning to tilt the narrative: Pirates’ defenders are proving more influential than Sundowns’ in crucial moments of the season.
While Sundowns boast more overall goals (19), their backline has contributed only once this campaign. Pirates, despite scoring just 16 times, have seen three goals come from defenders—an unusual and valuable source of momentum in a tight title race.
Nkosikhona Ndaba, Lebone Seema and evergreen Deon Hotto have all found the net, underlining a growing tactical edge under coach Abdeslam Ouaddou, whose system gives defenders freedom to initiate attacks and arrive late in the box. It’s the same structure that has also delivered the best defensive record in the league—just five goals conceded.
Sundowns, by contrast, remain defensively disciplined but far less expressive, with Malibongwe Khoza the only defender to score this season.
With Pirates collecting points at a championship-level pace and holding a game in hand, the title race has opened a new debate:
Are Pirates’ defenders simply more decisive right now?
As both teams head into a demanding December, contributions from the backline could be the detail that decides whether the trophy stays in Tshwane—or returns to Soweto.