By The Numbers: Pirates claim top spot

There was only one midweek league game before the Nedbank Cup kicked off on Wednesday and it saw Orlando Pirates reclaim the lead at the top of the PSL league table. The Buccaneers secured a 1-0 away win over AmaZulu FC in Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium and put themselves three points ahead of the chasing pack. How did they do it? Laduma Analytics dives into the numbers.

AmaZulu FC (0.21 xG) 0-2 (1.19 xG) Orlando Pirates

The Sea Robbers continue to swagger along, putting in consecutive fine performances and taking results on the road as well as at home. Coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has not seen his team lose a league fixture since the opening week, dating back to August 12th 2025. This particular performance showed intensity and willingness to dominate, especially against an opponent who themselves have had an excellent campaign, particularly at home. But, Pirates busy attack made for a busy evening for their hosts

19 – shots for Pirates, only once have thed more shots in a league game this season

2 – shots against Pirates, the lowest they have conceded in a league game this campaign.

13 – away goals, the most of any team away from home in the league this season.

5 – goals conceded, the best defensive record across the division

7 – xG conceded, also the  best defensive record across the division

The xG timeline

The xG (expected Goals) timeline provides an insight into how many shots the Buccs created against AmaZulu (and also conceded on the night). The attack was spearheaded by Relebohile Mofokeng and Oswin Appollis, who were the main offensive threats on the night. Mofokeng had four shots, with an xG that accounted for nearly half of the team’s total expected goals. The shot map below also illustrates a disciplined attacking and defensive performance by Pirates. AmaZulu’s two attempts were from low-probability scoring opportunities, showing how watertight Pirates’ defence was on the night.

Dominant performance

Pirates have now opened up a gap at the summit of the log table, and they performed like potential champions in this game. The chart below measures ‘Field Tilt’, which represents the share of touches made in the opponent’s final third, indicating which team was more territorially dominant minute by minute.

Overall dominance: The Soweto giants controlled 70% of the final third possession, while AmaZulu FC managed just 30%.

First Half Control: Pirates established heavy pressure early on (seen by the deep teal valleys), which led directly to Mofokeng’s 16th-minute opener. Aside from a brief AmaZulu push around the 25-minute mark, Pirates remained the primary controllers of the ball.

Second Half: AmaZulu saw their most significant period of pressure between the 50 – 55th minutes and again around the 85th minute (purple peaks). Pirates successfully weathered these spells and regained control in the final minutes, eventually forcing the pressure that led to the second goal in stoppage time.

Pirates face their next game in the Nedbank Cup on Saturday away to Tshakuma Tsha Madzivandila.