Orlando Pirates midfielder Ben Motshwari says they will not give up on the Absa Premiership title, despite conceding their first defeat in seven matches.

The Buccaneers’ six-game unbeaten run in the league ended after they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat by Soweto rivals Kaizer Chiefs at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Josef Zinnbauer’s men failed to close the gap on the log leaders as Amakhosi extended their lead to nine points over Pirates.

Motshwari believes that the result would have been different if it wasn’t for the heroics of Chiefs goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi.

‘It was a difficult game. We managed the match quite well. They got one chance in the first half and they capitalised on that one chance,’ Motshwari told the club’s social media platforms.

‘If it wasn’t for their goalkeeper the scoreline would have been different. He kept them in the game, hence they won 1-0.’

However, Motshwari insists that the Soweto derby was not the title decider as Mamelodi Sundowns are still in the running for the league title.

‘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,’ the 28-year-old added.

‘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.’

Orlando Pirates’ next match is against Golden Arrows in the Absa Premiership in Durban on Saturday, with kick-off set for 6pm.