The Eye-Opening Stat That Will Give Orlando Pirates Fans a Sense of Deja Vu

The 2-2 stalemate against Richards Bay on Friday has dealt a serious blow to their title aspirations, especially with competitors Mamelodi Sundowns just a point ahead and holding a game in hand.

Pirates currently sit on 55 points after 24 matches, mirroring their performance from the 2024/25 season when they also accumulated 55 points with six fixtures remaining.

This suggests that, despite perceptions of a marked improvement this season, their situation remains largely unchanged from a year ago.

The statistics do highlight one positive aspect: their goal difference. At this stage last season, they scored 31 goals, whereas this season they’ve netted 47—a significant increase. Additionally, they conceded 17 goals at this point last year compared to only 11 this time around.

While their goal difference stands at +36 compared to +17 from last season, this has not translated into additional points.

Essentially, they are winning matches by larger margins, but not necessarily winning more matches, which is the key statistic.

At this point in the 2024/25 season, they boasted 18 victories, one draw, and five losses. In contrast, this season they have achieved 17 wins, four draws, and three defeats, indicating they have actually won one less match than they did at the same juncture last year.

Interestingly, while Sundowns were not significantly better off last season at this point, it appears that their inconsistency this season has enabled Pirates to remain in contention for the title.

Sundowns have gathered 56 points from 23 matches in the 2025/26 season, while at the same time last year, they had 58 points, a mere two-point difference.

When observed in this manner, the current title race is strikingly similar to last year’s, when Sundowns ultimately clinched the championship with a 12-point lead.

Neutral fans will hope for a much closer contest this time around to maintain interest right through to May, but Friday’s outcome highlights why that may not come to fruition.