Head coach Jose Riveiro revealed what he believes was 'the only difference' between the two teams when his Orlando Pirates suffered a 4-1 beating from log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns.
On the back of a good run of form, The Buccaneers were brought down to earth with a humiliating 4-1 thrashing by Sundowns at a sold-out Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday.
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Goals from Teboho Mokoena, Grant Kekana and a Lucas Ribeiro brace were enough to see off the Sea Robbers - who had a consolation goal by Deon Hotto.
Despite the scoreline, Riveiro insisted that it was too early to suggest that the teams are far apart in terms of quality, stating that that matter would be settled at the end of the season.
"The difference between the two teams will show at the end of the season, after 30 games," Riveiro told journalists after the match.
"Then we will see if we are on the same level, if the difference is big if it is not. But today is one game.
"The game can go in different directions. [If] we scored in the first half even though, in my opinion, Sundowns was better than us. If we score the Deon Hotto chance then we would be talking about a different story maybe.
"If we survived the first 20 minutes of the game without conceding, then probably it's a different story. So the difference is never in one game.
"Even when we beat them in the final (Nedbank Cup), the difference was not there, right? Was it there? And it was 90 minutes. Today is also 90 minutes.
"Obviously, every time these two teams are finding each other in one game, let's be honest, we call it a clash, There are a lot of things to be said and to be blamed.
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"But today, like I said, they were better than us in finding ways to win this match despite the circumstances. That was the only difference between the two teams.
"They were much more... pragmatic than us and much more efficient than us in the last line, not giving us so many opportunities in transition.
"So, well played, well done from the opposition. But the difference is never the scoring, that's what I am trying to say. Let's be fair to both teams."
The win stretches Sundowns' lead at the top of the Betway Premiership up to nine points ahead of second-placed Pirates.