Orlando Pirates secured a 1-0 victory over AmaZulu to claim their second MTN8 title in three seasons and send the Ghost into the long break for the Fifa World Cup in buoyant mood.
We wrap up the numbers on their latest title triumph.
1 – Only one match went to penalties in the MTN8 this season, Kaizer Chiefs’ quarterfinal victory against Stellenbosch FC. The only other game to go to extra-time was AmaZulu’s quarterfinal success at Cape Town City.
1 – AmaZulu have now appeared in nine major cup finals in their history and won only once – the 1992 Coca-Cola Cup decider against Kaizer Chiefs. This was their second final in the MTN8 competition.
1 – Pirates conceded only one goal in the MTN8 this year, with a total of six hours of football played. They scored six goals themselves. It truly was a title win based on a solid defence.
1 – AmaZulu actually won only one of their four MTN8 matches this season, which was a 2-1 quarterfinal success at Cape Town City. Both semifinal clashes against Kaizer Chiefs ended in draws (they won on away goals), while they lost the final.
1 – The MTN8 trophy is a first in South African football for Pirates coach Jose Riveiro. The first of many, he will hope.
3 – Remarkably, Pirates have yet to score in the second half of DStv Premiership games this season, a total of 13 in all. It is a surprising statistic, but three of their six MTN8 goals this campaign did come after the break.
3 – Pirates winner in the final came from Monnapule Saleng, who finished as the leading scorer in the competition with three goals, including his stunning free-kick in the final. He was, in fact, the only player to score more than one goal this season.
5 – Pirates and AmaZulu have only met six times in cup competitions since the formation of the National Soccer League in 1985, with Pirates now winning five of those. Usuthu’s only success was their very first meeting in 1990 in the Bob Save Super Bowl semifinals.
6 – This was a sixth appearance for Pirates in the final of the competition since MTN took over their sponsorship in 2008. They have wins in 2010, 2011, 2020 and 2022, and defeats in 2013 and 2014. No team has appeared in more finals in that time.
11 – The victory took Pirates’ tally of wins in the top eight competition to 11 down the years, now four behind record-holders Kaizer Chiefs. At the rate they are going, they could overtake the AmaKhosi soon.
16 – The number of goals scored in the nine games in this year’s MTN8. That is an average of a little under two per match.
35 – This year’s MTN8 title is the 35th major piece of silverware for Pirates since the National Professional Soccer League was launched in 1971.
70 – This was the 70th meeting between the clubs since 1985, with Pirates now winning 33 of those to go with 11 victories for Usuthu and 26 draws.
360 – The only two players to feature in every minute of the successful campaign for Pirates were Nigerian defender Olisa Ndah and midfielder Miguel Timm.