The eagerly anticipated Soweto Derby is upon us and we take a glance at the most interesting records of the biggest soccer spectacle.
This season’s Soweto Derby is the 180th in history and sees Orlando Pirates host old rivals, Kaizer Chiefs at the iconic FNB Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 pm.
Top 10 Interesting Soweto Derby Records
As Amakhosi head to the Soweto Derby in high spirits fresh from a 1-0 win over Golden Arrows, the clash is difficult to predict.
On the part of the hosts, the Buccaneers go to the Calabash having claimed the full three points in the first round.
As the two sides are only separated by a single point on the DStv Premiership log table, there is no doubt there will be a winner as they both chase a spot in the CAF Champions League.
We select a few talking points building up to the biggest clashes in the PSL calendar as the country is divided.
Top Goalscorers
One of the late legends Pule ‘Ace’ Ntsoelengoe is a revered Chiefs icon and he boasts an impressive 19 goals next to his name. Following him are none other than Teenage Dladla, Abednigo Ngcobo, and Marks Maponyane have all found the back of the net on 11 occasions. However, the man nicknamed ‘Go Man Go’, Maponyane was only one of six players to have scored in both colours.
The Black Prince, Jomo Sono has netted the most goals for Pirates in Soweto Derbies with nine strikes.
Hat-Tricks
There are few hat tricks in the Soweto derby history and there are only three in the spectacle’s records or history.
Ex-Chiefs star Ebison Mugoyo got the first in a 5-1 win for Chiefs, while Henry Khumalo managed the second as Pirates claimed a 3-1 success. Jerry ‘Legs of Thunder’ Sikhosana scooped the last hat-trick for the Sea Robbers – all the way back in 1996.
Most Goals In A Single Match
Between the two sides, there is always rivalry that is involved and the most goals scored in a Soweto derby game is 10. This record only happened twice, including in the very first meeting. Ezikamagebhula claimed a 6-4 victory in January 1970, while Impofana won 7-3 in February 1972.
Scorers For Both Sides
The players to have scored for both sides in a Soweto Derby are Gabriel Khoza, Blessing Mgidi, Jerry Sadike, Ace Khuse, Mark Maponyane, and Marc Bachelor.
Most Player Appearances In The PSL Era
Former Orlando Pirates skipper and central defender nicknamed Magents, Happy Jele is one of the five players to have played in the most Soweto derbies. He is joined by the dreadlocked Simphiwe Tshabalala, Bernard Parker, Willard Katsande, and Itumeleng Khune. On top of that, Jele is the most-capped with 33 and Tshabalala is in second with 31.
Longest Unbeaten Run
While records are the to speak, the game remains unpredictable and Amakhosi take this accolade. An 11-match unbeaten run Chiefs had against Pirates between May 1985 and November 1988.
Fastest Goal
The fastest goal in the history of the derby match came after just 19 seconds from current Golden Arrows technical team member, Mabhudi Khenyeza. The hard-working hitman in his heyday scored the goal for the Glamour Boys back in Durban in November 2007.
Coaches Of Both Sides
Kosta Papic, Walter da Silva, Ted Dumitru, Augusto Palacios, Joe Frickleton, and Vladimir Vermezovic are among those to have coached both sides.
First Foreign Goalscorer
Herman Blaschke the Namibian-born became the first foreigner to score in the history of the Soweto Derby between Chiefs and the Buccaneers in 1975. Later the same year Zimbabwean Ebison Mugoyo also got a goal for the AmaKhosi.
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