Winners And Losers: Carling Knockout Cup

There were goals galore in the first round of the 2024 Carling Knockout Cup as the 16 teams in the league battled it out for the second piece of silverware of the season. Stellenbosch and AmaZulu set the tone on Friday night, before a record-breaking Saturday saw 22 goals across five games. Sunday was less eventful in terms of goals, though one game saw two red cards and nearly went to penalties.

Winners

Entertainment

For the first time in 10 years, there were no penalty shootouts in the first round of the League Cup (Telkom Knockout/Carling). But there was plenty of entertainment. Saturday’s goalmouth action, for example, will be remembered for a long time. There were 22 goals scored in the five Carling Knockout games played this past Saturday, the most in a single day in the competition’s PSL history.

27 – Only once before (29 goals in 2004) have more goals been scored in the first round of the competition than the 27 this past weekend.

Magesi

As the “bigger” club, a lot of attention will go to Orlando Pirates’ elimination, but some words (possibly a lot of them) should be reserved for the team that beat them. The newly promoted side may have benefited from some luck (an own goal, a penalty rebound), but they deserved it for their bravery alone.

1 – Magesi is only the fourth team in PSL history (and the first in 23 years) to lead 3-0 in the first half away at Orlando Pirates (since Santos in a league game back in October 2001).

1999: Jomo Cosmos (League)
2001: SuperSport (MTN8)
2001: Santos (League)

Nasreddine Nabi

Changes to his trusted backroom staff have disrupted a decent start to his tenure, but on Saturday evening, it looked as if this unit had been together for five years. The 4-0 trouncing is doubly impressive when you consider the game was billed as the biggest match of the weekend. This was only the third time four different players scored for Chiefs in this competition, and the result (along with Pirates’ defeat) brought Chiefs to 42 wins in the competition, more than any other team.

4 – Chiefs won 4-0 for the first time since October 16, 2021, when they beat Chippa 4-0 in a league game, also in the third weekend of October.

Sundowns

This competition may not historically favor Sundowns, but they remain the only team to have lifted the title more than once since 2010. Against Arrows, Sundowns were back to their imperious best. The 5-0 win equals their largest winning margin in the competition—5-0 also against AmaZulu in 2019 and 6-1 against Free State Stars in 2015. It’s another reminder of the team’s attacking potency.

5 – This was only the second time in the competition’s history that Sundowns saw five different players score (also Ngele, Castro, Dolly, Zwane, and Mashego in the aforementioned 6-1).

Ramovic Ends A Bad Streak

Galaxy had never beaten Chippa in a Cup game before, so this was a welcome turn of events and the perfect celebration of Sead Ramovic’s three years in charge.

3 – Sead Ramovic was appointed in October 2021 and is one of only three PSL coaches still at the same club, in the same coaching position and role, since 2021/22.

Cape Town City

A comfortable victory overall, and the end of a long-standing hoodoo. City had been knocked out in the last 16 in each of their last four editions. The only other time they advanced past this round, they went on to win the title.

Losers

Pirates And This Cup

For the third straight edition, Pirates were drawn to face a newly promoted side in the first round of this Cup. This time, they had the added advantage of having played seven more games than their opponents this season, but that did not matter. The “Cup Kings” moniker won’t stick for at least a few more months, as the Carling Cup continues to elude the club.

1 – Despite playing the most matches (79) and scoring the most goals (127), Pirates have won this competition only once (2011).

Gavin Hunt

Since returning to the club in July 2022, Gavin Hunt has led his side into seven different Cup competitions. Only one of these campaigns has gone beyond the first round.

1 – Under Hunt, SuperSport have won just one domestic Cup game in regulation time, drawing one (progressing on penalties) and losing the other seven.

Golden Arrows’ Worrying Pattern

2021/22: Lost 6-0 to Sundowns (League)
2022/23: Lost 5-2 to Stellenbosch (League)
2023/24: Lost 7-1 to Pirates (League)
2024/25: Lost 5-0 to Sundowns (Carling Knockout)

1 – This was the first time in PSL history that Arrows conceded five goals in a Cup game.