Insightful recap of the PSL season - 50 significant statistics to resonate with the season's excitement
PSL Season 29 wrapped up this week, with Sundowns clinching their eighth consecutive title with some games still left to play. One fantastic way to celebrate the season is by diving into monthly stats and facts, including PSL teams' performances in CAF competitions and Bafana Bafana's games during the season. Here's the lowdown on both the epic and surprising moments – enjoy!
September
- First Kaizer Chiefs Coach Win: Nasreddine Nabi kicked off his Kaizer Chiefs coaching career with a win, making him the first Chiefs coach to do so since Stuart Baxter in 2012.
- Sharing the Start: Five teams – Sundowns, Pirates, Chiefs, Arrows, and Polokwane – won their initial two league games, a feat that happened only once before in PSL history (2002/3).
- Wins for Sundowns: Sundowns (8-0) clinched a 4th aggregate victory by an 8+ margin in a CAF tie, a record no other PSL side has matched.
- AmaZulu's First: AmaZulu endured a disappointing start by losing all three opening league matches for the very first time.
October
- Goalkeeper's Yashin Trophy Nomination: Ronwen Williams earned a nomination for the Yashin Trophy as the best goalkeeper in the world. He's the first player to get such recognition while playing their club football outside Europe.
- Polokwane's Strong Start: Polokwane collected 10 points in their first five games, equaling their best start (also in 2019/20).
- Sundowns' Shots: Sundowns failed to record a shot on target against a particular team in a game for the first time since January 2020 vs Pirates.
- Clean Sheets for Chiefs: Chiefs went on a streak without a clean sheet in their initial four league games – a first in PSL history.
- Pirates' Chance Creation: Relebohile Mofokeng created a record-breaking 9 chances in Pirates' victory over AmaZulu, more than any player since records started (2020+).
- Teams' Starting Streak: For the first time in PSL top-flight history, more than one team won their opening four league games of the season.
November
- Pirates' Wins: Pirates snatched their longest winning streak (seven games) and undefeated run to match the club's best-ever performance in the PSL.
- Ruud Krol Overthrown: José Rivéiro surpassed Ruud Krol as the Pirates coach with the most wins in the PSL era.
- Magesi's FA Cup Victory:Magesi became the first PSL-era club to win any domestic South African Cup in the season immediately after promotion.
- Sundowns' Cup Final Loss: Sundowns lost their third consecutive Cup final (MTN8, Nedbank & Carling Cups), marking a disappointing spree of defeats.
- League Cup Final Win: Clinton Larsen won a League Cup final against Sundowns for the second time, having done so back in 2012 (at Celtic).
- Scraping Half a Century for Williams: Ronald Williams grabbed his 50th cap for the national team, becoming the 30th player to achieve such a milestone.
December
- Multiple 9-Game Win Streaks: More than one team won at least nine out of their opening ten games in the season, a feat never before seen in PSL history.
- Pirates' Points: Pirates had amassed 27 points after their 10th game, achieving their most at that stage of any PSL season.
- Eight-Goal Victory: Pirates battered Marumo 8-1, coming closest to a 7-goal margin victory in a league game since PSL records began.
- Sundowns' League Top Position: Sundowns sat on top of the league for a 12th Christmas Day, registering the most times at the top across all PSL sides.
- Ronwen's Red Card: Ronald Williams picked up his first career red card for Sundowns just before Christmas.
January 2025
- Largest Ever FA Cup Margin: TS Galaxy notched a 7-0 victory over CR Vasco Da Gama, establishing the largest FA Cup margin this season.
- Defender Hat-Trick: Sandile Mthethwa became the second defender to bag a hat-trick in the FA Cup (PSL-era BobSave/ABSA/Nedbank Cups).
- Four Different Scorers:Stellenbosch saw four different players score (5-0 vs Amazulu) in a single league game for the first time.
- Brazilian Goal Milestone: Lucas Ribeiro hit the landmark of 25 goals for Sundowns, becoming the first Brazilian player to reach 25 across competitions.
- Malawian Goal Milestone: Gabadinho Mhango became the first Malawian player to score 75 goals in PSL history.
- Youngest Champions League Scorer: Relebohile Mofokeng became the youngest player to score in three consecutive Champions League matches (at 20y 2m 26d).
- Orlando Pirates' Away Wins: Orlando Pirates won for a third time away against Al Ahly, more achievements than any other PSL side in that position.
February
- Record February Goals: Sundowns netted 22 goals in the month of February, recording the most goals scored by a PSL top-flight team in a single month.
- Three League 4+ Goal Games: Sundowns scored 4+ goals in four consecutive league games in the same month, a first in PSL history.
- Lightning-Speed 50 Points: Sundowns became the fastest team to reach 50 points (19 games), setting a new PSL record.
- Pirates' Points Mid-Season: Pirates collected 36 points halfway through a 30-game season, setting a club record for the highest points at that stage.
- Coaching Milestone: Gavin Hunt took charge of his 1000th game in the top-flight, making him the first coach to reach the milestone in PSL history.
March
- Third Player of the Month Win: Lucas Ribeiro captured the Player of the Month award for a third time, demonstrating his consistent dominance.
- Back-to-Back Wins for Chippa: Chippa United finally won consecutive league games, halting their winless streak in the season.
- Double Victory for Golden Arrows:Golden Arrows managed to defeat Kaizer Chiefs for a third time (also 2002/3 & 2021/22), a noteworthy achievement against a historical rival.
- Chiefs' Shots Without Scoring:Chiefs took an astonishing 21 shots against Richards Bay, yet couldn't find the net in their league game.
April
- Double-Digit Assists: Keletso Makgalwa racked up 10 assists, the most of any player in the league.
- Historic Young FA Cup Player: Mohau Nkota (20y 168 days) became the youngest player to snatch a four-goal hat-trick in a single CAF campaign for a PSL side.
- Three CAF Champions League Finals: Sundowns reached their third CAF Champions League final, extending their record as the most successful South African side in the competition.
- Post-Lockdown Home Wins: Owen da Gama became just the third coach to win six consecutive home league games post-lockdown, joining Manqoba Mngqithi and Rulani Mokwena in that exclusive club.
- Youngest Scorer in Post-Lockdown FA Cup: At 20 years & 290 days, Wandile Duba became the youngest Chiefs player to score in the post-lockdown FA Cup semi-finals in the PSL-era.
May
- Record-Breaking Passes: Sundowns completed a staggering 904 passes against Magesi (out of 961), the most recorded in a PSL league game.
- Nedbank Cup Victory: Chiefs ended their decade-long trophy drought, winning the Nedbank Cup in a nail-biting final.
- First U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Victory: South Africa secured their first-ever victory in the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, beating Morocco in the final.
- 24 Wins and Perfect League Home Record: Sundowns clinched an astounding 24 wins during the season, besting the PSL top-flight record for wins in a season by a team. They also became the first team to win all their home league games in a season.
- 90 Points: Sundowns reached 90 points, the most ever accumulated by a PSL side in a single season, securing their eighth title in a row and cementing their dominance.
Congratulations once again to Sundowns – a marvelous season!
- Sports enthusiasts are invited to make exciting predictions about the forthcoming season, particularly regarding the dominance of football teams in PSL, given Sundowns' eight consecutive titles in the league.
- The eight-game victory by Orlando Pirates over Marumo in December was the closest any PSL team has come to achieving a seven-goal margin victory in a league game since records started.
- The sports world witnessed a notable milestone in May, as Sundowns accumulated 90 points, a record for the most ever reached by a PSL side in a single season. This achieved an unprecedented eight consecutive titles for the team.
