It means a nail-biting final fixture next Saturday if they are to claim a first championship since 2011/12.
Down to the wire
Only one team came to play, that was evident from the start. But fair play to Durban City, who have all but secured a top eight place, and the onus was not on them to go for it.
Pirates are the ones chasing the league title and it was up to them to break their opponents down, but they could not do that.
The point does nothing for the Soweto side, they could have lost and the equation for them in the final round would have been the same.
Sundowns have been handed a lifeline and Pirates must now go to a desperate Orbit College on the final day and win. Anything short of that and The Brazilians will claim the league title for a ninth season in a row.
If Pirates do not win the league, they may look back on home games such as this one, and draws against Siwelele and Richards Bay, as stumbles in the campaign that cost them dearly.
Tepid first half
Pirates created little in the way of chances in the first half, relying on long-range efforts that never really tested City goalkeeper Fredrick Asare, who has been handed the number one jersey since Darren Keet announced his retirement after the Nedbank Cup final.
Pirates enjoyed 76% of the possession but mustered only two shots on target and an xG of 0.20. City had one shot in total, which was off target.
The Buccaneers looked a little nervous and unwilling to throw themselves forward against a very organised defence and a visiting side capable of catching them on the break.
Pirates did have 10 corners in the first half, the most by any side in a single half this season, but were unable to create a scoring chance from them.
Blunt Pirates
It was more of the same in the second half, though Asare saved well from Relebohile Mofokeng’s free-kick, while Oswin Appollis blazed over with a difficult chance from a tight angle.
The same two players created further opportunities, but a mixture of good goalkeeping and wayward shooting kept Pirates scoreless.
It had the feel of a game where they could have played another 90 minutes and still not scored, though not through a lack of trying.
Pirates had been prevented from scoring only once in their previous 16 matches in all competitions, which was against second-tier Casric Stars in the Nedbank Cup. The last team to stop them scoring in the league was Sekhukhune United in a 0-0 draw in January, while the last side to do so at Orlando Stadium was also Sekhukhune in August (0-1).
Top eight for Durban City
The point more or less secures a top eight place for Durban City ahead of their final game of the season at home to AmaZulu.
They could still mathematically be caught by Siwelele and Stellenbosch FC, but that seems unlikely given their superior goal difference.
It has been a fine season for the promoted club, winning the Nedbank Cup and earning a place in next season’s MTN8. That is perhaps beyond their wildest dreams at the start of the campaign, when survival would have been the major objective.
