PIC: Tshegofatso Mabasa scored a hat-trick for Orlando Pirates in their Last 16 win over Baroka FC in 2025

The Nedbank Cup Last 16 is on the horizon and fans should look forward to a stage of the competition that has generally been packed with goals down the years.

It was not quite the case last year when 21 goals were scored in the eight games, well below what we have seen in recent times.

That translates to 2.63 goals per game, but the average has generally been above three goals per game, some years substantially so.

That was the case in 2024 when there were 28 goals scored in the eight games, a very healthy average of 3.50 goals per game, well above the Betway Premiership, which at best sits under 2.00 these days.

For the second season running Stellenbosch FC were involved in the game with the most goals, having beaten second-tier Milford FC 6-1. In 2023 they recorded a 6-3 victory over TS Galaxy.

They are back again at this stage and will clash with Lamontville Golden Arrows in a rare away game in the competition for the Winelands club.

That 2024 tally was not the most in the competition since Nedbank took over the sponsorship in 2008. That was in fact in 2023.

There were 29 goals scored in the eight games two years ago, an average of 3.63 per match.

Aside from Stellenbosch’s 6-3 win, Sundowns defeated Marumo Gallants 3-1 and Royal AM ousted Lamontville Golden Arrows by the same scoreline in two other high-scoring encounters.

Anything over an average of 2.50 goals per game is considered rich entertainment for fans anywhere in the world, and the last six seasons have seen the Nedbank Cup Last 16 deliver that.

A total of 27 goals were scored in the eight games played in 2020, an average of 3.38 per match. Just three of the teams failed to find the back of the net, and every game had at least two goals scored.

There was also a glut in 2021, where 25 goals were scored at an average of 3.13 per game, while in 2022 that dropped slightly to 22 goals in eight games.

These five seasons follow something of an anomaly – 2019. Why just 15 goals were scored in the Last 16 is hard to explain, with 1.88 goals per game. But that edition was not the only miserly season, there were also only 15 goals scored in 2012.

To put that into context, Sundowns had netted 24 goals in the previous round alone as they hammered Northern Cape SAB Regional League side Powerlines FC.

But 14 of the previous 18 years (78%) have seen an average of 2.50 goals per game or above, including 2016, which had the most goals of any year at this stage of the competition until it was topped by 2023 and matched in 2024.

A total of 28 were scored in the eight games (3.50 per game), thanks largely to two matches that had six goals each.

BidVest Wits brushed aside third-tier minnows Magesi FC 6-0, a game in which winger Daine Klate scored four times, while eventual champions SuperSport United played to a thrilling 3-3 draw with University of Pretoria before triumphing on penalties.

Just behind on the scoring stakes is 2011, who matched the 2020 total of 27 goals, including a 4-0 win for Kaizer Chiefs over then-defending champions Wits and a 4-3 thriller between Witbank Spurs and Mpumalanga Black Aces that was won by the latter.

The biggest victory for a team in the Nedbank Cup Last 16 came in 2008 when Bloemfontein Celtic thumped second-tier Ikapa Sporting 8-1, part of a total of 24 goals scored that year.

That is the same number as in 2009 and 2018, the other instances where there has been an average of three goals per game.

 

GOALS IN THE NEDBANK CUP LAST 16

 

2008

Goals: 24

Average per game: 3.00

Most goals in a game: Free State Stars 8-1 Ikapa Sporting

 

2009

Goals: 24

Average per game: 3.00

Most goals in a game: University of Pretoria 4-3 Kaizer Chiefs

 

2010

Goals: 21

Average per game: 2.63

Most goals in a game: BidVest Wits 4-1 Thanda Royal Zulu

 

2011

Goals: 27

Average per game: 3.38

Most goals in a game: Witbank Spurs 3-4 Mpumalanga Black Aces

 

2012

Goals: 15

Average per game: 1.88

Most goals in a game: Black Leopards 0-4 Kaizer Chiefs

 

2013

Goals: 20

Average per game: 2.50

Most goals in a game: African Warriors 2-2 Maluti FET College 2; Tembu Royals 1-3 Maritzburg United

 

2014

Goals: 22

Average per game: 2.75

Most goals in a game: AmaZulu 1-4 BidVest Wits; Lamontville Golden Arrows 1-4 Mamelodi Sundowns

 

2015

Goals: 17

Average per game: 2.13

Most goals in a game: Platinum Stars 1-3 Mamelodi Sundowns

 

2016

Goals: 28

Average per game: 3.50

Most goals in a game: Magesi FC 0-6 BidVest Wits; SuperSport United 3-3 University of Pretoria

 

2017

Goals: 19

Average per game: 2.34

Most goals in a game: Free State Stars 1-4 Orlando Pirates

 

2018

Goals: 24

Average per game: 3.00

Most goals in a game: AmaZulu 2-3 Ubuntu Cape Town

 

2019

Goals: 15

Average per game: 1.88

Most goals in a game: Cape Town City 3-0 Highlands Park; The Magic 0-3 Kaizer Chiefs

 

2020

Goals: 27

Average per game: 3.38

Most goals in a game: Happy Wanderers 3-4 TS Sporting

 

2021

Goals: 25

Average per game: 3.13

Most goals in a game: Cape Town All Stars 3-3 Cape Town Spurs

 

2022

Goals: 22

Average per game: 2.75

Most goals in a game: Mamelodi Sundowns 6-0 Mathaithai; Venda Football Academy 3-3 University of Pretoria

 

2023

Goals: 29

Average per game: 3.63

Most goals in a game: TS Galaxy 3-6 Stellenbosch FC

 

2024

Goals: 28

Average per game: 3.50

Most goals in a game: Milford 1-6 Stellenbosch FC

 

2025

Goals: 21

Average per game: 2.63

Most goals in a game: Orlando Pirates 3-1 Baroka FC