Orlando Pirates legend Benedict ‘Tso’ Vilakazi has written off his former club's chances in the Betway Premiership title race after their shock defeat this weekend.
Vilakazi believes the 2-0 loss to Marumo Gallants, suffered by Jose Riveiro's troops at a sold-out Free State Stadium on Saturday, confirms their inability to challenge Mamelodi Sundowns.
Sundowns, meanwhile, further solidified their league dominance with a 1-0 victory over Kaizer Chiefs, widening the gap to 18 points, despite Pirates holding four games in hand.
Vilakazi contends that the Sea Robbers' performance against the “lowly” Gallants demonstrates they cannot overcome the significant deficit to Masandawana.
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“It’s done. It’s done there is no way we [Orlando Pirates] will recover 18 points,” Vilakazi told iDiski TV.

“Yes, I know that we still have to play against them again at Orlando [FNB] but still it’s not going to be enough.
“You now if we drop points against teams like Marumo Gallants with all due respect and they have shown that they need three points more than we need the three points.
“If we can’t beat teams like Marumo Gallants and we want to go and challenge Mamelodi Sundowns then we have to sit down and think if we have a proper plan in terms of really going for the league because this is not a tournament or a 100m race.
“It’s marathon and in a marathon, you have to prepare yourself because sometimes along the way you need to change your running shoes because of the challenges along the route.”