Winners And Losers – PSL Teams In CAF

Orlando Pirates (4-0) and Stellenbosch (5-0) enjoyed massive victories over the weekend, which saw both teams qualify for the second preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League and Confederations Cups respectively. Both teams were expected to progress against their less fancied opponents, but the margins of victory were an unexpected bonus for their followers. This was the fourth time in PSL history that two PSL teams scored 4+ at home on the same weekend in CAF competitions. They join Sundowns and Sekhukhune as PSL representatives in CAF this season and are one step away from reaching the Group stages. Winners & Losers looks at some of the stats from the weekend action.

Winners

Orlando Pirates

A few of the takeaways from last weekend’s 0-0 draw against Disciples FC were rather misleading. Because the match was not televised, few critics could see just how dominant Pirates were that day. With the gulf in class between the two sides largely unobserved, the result led many to believe Pirates struggled and were somehow on the verge of elimination. On Saturday, it took less than half an hour for Pirates to show that gulf. Pirates were 3-0 up 30 minutes, the fastest ever that a Pirates side has scored three in a CAF game. They took their foot off the accelerator in the second half, but a late Karim Kimvuidi goal added the gloss that this performance deserved.

4+ – This was the 11th time Orlando Pirates have scored 4+ goals in a match under Jose Riveiro, more than any other Pirates coach in the PSL era. 

Riveiro

One of the first things you notice about this Orlando Pirates team, coach, and fans at the moment is that everybody is in a good mood. When a team is winning games (and trophies), this is to be expected. But there is a sense that more powerful than that, and all this can be linked mostly to one man. In Jose Riveiro, the Buccaneers have found a coach with an infectious personality, that even once doubtful fans can easily embrace. He is also a coach whom the players want to impress. Yes, the league has remained elusive, but the early signs for this season are positive. The Spaniard (87 games) is now up to third in the all-time number of games for a Pirates coach in the PSL era, behind only Milutin Sredojević (107) and Ruud Krol (119). He’ll break that if he stays the season and write himself into folklore. But for this weekend, he set a new record of his own:

55 – Under Riveiro, the Pirates scored 55 goals in Cup competitions, more than any other coach in the club’s history (PSL era).

Stellenbosch

Through to the second qualifying round at the first time of asking. The Maroons came into this tie 3-0 up from the first leg and could have been excused for cautiously working their way to a desired result. 0-0 would have been enough. Instead, they were brutal (despite Spurs offering almost nothing), and must be given credit for their courage in going all out.

5+ – This was only the second time Stellenbosch had five different scorers in a game since their 2019 promotion (after the 6-3 win over TS Galaxy in the 2023 Nedbank Cup in March 2023).

Stellenboch’s winning margin

But Stellies’ aggregate margin of victory is also worthy of mention.

University of the Western Cape

UWC Ladies were Southern African champions on the weekend after they defeated Gaborone United on penalties in the COSAFA CAFWCL qualifying final. They join Sundowns Ladies in the finals, as the second South African representative. More impressive is how they did:

1 – @UWCFootball is the first-ever team to win the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifying tournament despite losing their opening game.

Losers

Media And Women’s Football Coverage

There was little coverage of UWC’s historic achievements on the weekend. Singing anyone out for criticism may seem harsh, but a finger of blame can be wagged toward the media (and that includes us). Administrators have a lot to do to ensure there are sufficient incentives for covering the women’s game. If we leave market forces to be the main determinant of what sports get the most coverage, the growth of women’s football will remain an afterthought.