Sirino joins exclusive list of Nedbank Cup scorers

Gaston Sirino’s hattrick for Mamelodi Sundowns against NB La Masia in the Nedbank Cup on Tuesday took his tally of goals in the competition to seven, and among the leading scorers since it was first played in its current guise in 2008.

That includes a winning goal in the 2020 final against Bloemfontein Celtic, and further strikes in 2018, 2021 and 2022.

The Uruguayan enters the lost of leading players to have netted in the Nedbank Cup in the last 16 years, which is headed by a current teammate of his who did not play against La Masia.

7 GOALS - BRADLEY GROBLER

Clubs: Platinum Stars, SuperSport United

Veteran forward Grobler recently turned 36 but is still banging in the goals for SuperSport United in the topflight. He has a long and successful history with the Nedbank Cup having netted once in the 2016 final and then twice in the 2017 decider as Matsatsantsa beat Orlando Pirates two years in a row. That brace six years ago were his last goals in the competition though. His first came for Platinum Stars against Lamontville Golden Arrows all the way back in 2009!

7 GOALS – THEMBINKOSI LORCH

Clubs: Maluti FET College, Orlando Pirates

Lorch has recently moved to Mamelodi Sundowns and will have big hopes of adding to his Nedbank Cup tally having scored three times on the way to helping Orlando Pirates to the title in 2023. His first Nedbank Cup goals came all the way back in 2015 in the colours of Maluti FET College – a brace in a 2-1 away win at African Warriors.

7 GOALS – TASHREEQ MORRIS

Clubs: Ajax Cape Town, Cape Town City, Sekhukhune United

Morris netted three times for boyhood club Ajax Cape Town (now Cape Town Spurs) as they reached the 2015 Nedbank Cup final, but lost on penalties to Mamelodi Sundowns. He later moved to Cape Town City and got a hattrick in a 4-0 win over Bloemfontein Celtic in 2021, and got another against minnows Liver Brothers for Sekhukhune United in their run to the final in 2023.

7 GOALS - DUMISANI NGWENYA

Club: AmaZulu

Ngwenya shot to prominence when he netted five goals for AmaZulu in a 14-0 Nedbank Cup Last 32 victory against minnows Young Ones in 2008, a day to remember for Usuthu fans. And to add to that, he got two more in the 5-0 win over Vasco da Gama in the Last 16, though those would be his last goals in the competition. He later played for University of Pretoria, Dynamos and Baroka FC without netting again in the Nedbank Cup.

7 GOALS – SIBUSISO VILAKAZI

Club: BidVest Wits, Mamelodi Sundowns, Sekhukhune United

Vilakazi’s goal for Sekhukhune United in the 2023 Nedbank Cup final in a losing course against Orlando Pirates was his seventh in the competition. He scored three in helping BidVest Wits to the 2014 final, where he also lost to Pirates, and added two more for them in later years. He was on target for Mamelodi Sundowns in a Tshwane derby win over SuperSport United in 2020 before getting his final goal for Sekhukhune.

9 GOALS – IQRAAM RAYNERS

Clubs: Santos, SuperSport United, Stellenbosch FC

Rayners was top-scorer in the 2023 edition of the Nedbank Cup with six goals in four appearances as Stellenbosch FC made the semifinals. His first Nedbank Cup goal was a winner for Cape Town club Santos against Mthatha Bucks in 2016, before he scored one each for Stellenbosch, in his first spell, and SuperSport United. With his pace he is a thorn in the side of many a defence and will be desperate to take Stellies to the title this term.

9 GOALS - JEREMY BROCKIE

Club: SuperSport United

New Zealander Brockie is the leading scorer for Matsatsantsa in the Nedbank Cup with all nine of his goals in the competition coming in the colours of the Tshwane side. He later played for Mamelodi Sundowns and Maritzburg United with much less success.

Quite remarkably, his nine goals all came between 2015 and 2017 as he was comfortably the most dominant forward in the competition over that time. He got two in his first year, before netting four in 2016, including in the final win over Pirates. He got another three in 2017, including in the decider again, as Matsatsantsa beat the same opposition.

9 GOALS – LEHLOHONOLO MAJORO

Clubs: AmaZulu, Kaizer Chiefs

Majoro had a long and distinguished career but may not add to his impressive Nedbank Cup tally after leaving AmaZulu at the end of last season. He burst onto the scene with Usuthu in the 2010/11 season and opened his Nedbank Cup account on his debut in the competition when he scored in the 5-0 victory over Real Madrid (not that Real Madrid!).

He grabbed two in all that year. He moved on to Kaizer Chiefs the following season and managed four Nedbank Cup goals in a single game against Black Leopards. He also scored in the semifinals the following year as Chiefs lifted the trophy in 2013. He later had so-so spells with Orlando Pirates, Cape Town City and BidVest Wits before returning to AmaZulu in 2019 and adding one more Nedbank Cup goal to his tally.

9 GOALS - KINGSTON NKHATHA

Clubs: Free State Stars, Kaizer Chiefs, SuperSport United

Zimbabwean forward Nkhatha was much maligned by supporters at his clubs, but he had an eye for the important goal and scored an impressive nine in the Nedbank Cup. Five of those were in the 2010 season at Free State Stars, where he first netted in a 6-1 victory over minnows Tower United as Ea lla Koto made the semifinals.

He later spent a season at Black Leopards before signing for Kaizer Chiefs in 2012, where he netted just once in the Nedbank Cup. His move to SuperSport United brought more success though as he scored three more times, including in the 2017 final against Pirates. He finished his career in South Africa at Mbombela United.

10 GOALS – NYASHA MUSHEKWI

Club: Mamelodi Sundowns

Mushekwi scored an incredible 10 goals in the 2012 Nedbank Cup season, the most by any player in a single campaign. But still Mamelodi Sundowns could not lift the trophy that year! The Zimbabwean forward netted six times in the 24-0 victory over Powerlines FC and got two more in a 2-0 Last 16 victory over BidVest Wits. He got one more each in the quarterfinals and semifinals, but Sundowns were beaten in the decider by city rivals SuperSport United. He spent three seasons at Sundowns in all before moving on to China.

11 GOALS – KERMIT ERASMUS

Clubs: SuperSport United, Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns

Erasmus is at Orlando Pirates for a second spell this season and will be hoping to add to his impressive Nedbank Cup tally, which includes goals in the final. His first in the competition came for SuperSport United in their 3-1 win over Lamontville Golden Arrows in the Last 32 in 2011 and he netted three in all for Matsatsantsa, including in the 2012 final as they lifted the trophy.

He moved on to Pirates and scored three for them in the 2014 campaign as they defeated BidVest Wits 3-1 in the final, with Erasmus on the scoresheet twice. After a spell in France he signed for Mamelodi Sundowns and last year got a brace as they thumped Summerfield Dynamos 5-0 in the quarterfinals on their way to lifting the trophy. Since then he has returned to Pirates and netted twice as they won the 2023 edition to take his tally to 11.

11 GOALS – HLOMPHO KEKANA

Club: Mamelodi Sundowns

Kekana is the leading scorer in the Nedbank Cup since 2008 having netted all his goals in the colours of Sundowns. He too made hay in the 24-0 success against Powerlines FC, netting seven goals in that game alone, but had to wait three years for his next strike in the 3-1 win over Platinum Stars in 2015.

He scored two more for the club in 2018 and got his final Nedbank Cup goal in a 4-1 success against Orlando Pirates in 2021. The following season he announced his retirement from the game but has certainly etched his name in the history of the Nedbank Cup!

14 GOALS – PETER SHALULILE

Clubs: Highlands Park, Mamelodi Sundowns

The most lethal marksman in South Africa at present, Shalulile has raced to 14 Nedbank Cup goals in just four seasons and might have had many more had he not been rested by Mamelodi Sundowns in a succession of games against minnows. His first Nedbank Cup goals came for Highlands Park against Uthongathi in 2019 when he got a brace and then one more that year versus Kaizer Chiefs.

He moved to Sundowns the following season and scored four times in the competition. He only played three times in 2022 as Sundowns romped to the title but scored against Richards Bay and in the final versus Marumo Gallants to take his overall tally to nine. He moved ahead in the all-time rankings with five goals in 2023, a hattrick against Marumo Gallants and two more versus Richards Bay. Could he be the first player to 20 goals in the competition?