MTN 8 Quarter Finals Review – Possession is not everything.

The new football season is in full swing. We have had the opening round of the Betway Premiership and this past weekend the MTN 8 delivered it’s usual drama with some thrilling quarter finals. Unfortunately again, the main talk has been about how wasteful and inefficient clubs and it’s players have been infront of goal. Not just fans but also coaches threw some punches towards their players as they reflected on many missed opportunities.

Biggest Upset of the Weekend

The biggest news of the round came at FNB Stadium on Sunday where Kaizer Chiefs were eliminated in a 1-0 defeat to Golden Arrows. Returning to the Wafa Wafa competition for the first time since the 2024/25 season, Amakhosi controlled the tempo and created plenty of opportunities but failed to convert their dominance into goals.

Kaizer Chiefs recorded 21 shots and accumulated 36 touches inside the opposition box, yet managed just 4 shots on target and failed to find the back of the net. They were even playing more football in Arrows’ half of the field with 333 accurate passes to 127 in the opposition half. Golden Arrows, by contrast, capitalised on their few moments in attack, with Khulekani Shezi scoring the game’s sole goal from one of Arrows’ rare attempts.

Even winning sides struggled with efficiency this weekend. Defending champions Orlando Pirates edged out Durban City 2-1 to advance to the semi-finals and will now face Sekhukhune United. Pirates head coach expressed similar frustration regarding his side’s clinical edge. Despite firing 39 shots at goal and creating 5 big chances across the game, the Buccaneers converted just 5% of their chances, squandering 4 big chances in the process.

Elsewhere Mamelodi Sundowns needed extra time to dispatch Polokwane City 3-2, while Sekhukhune United earned their spot in the last four with a 4-3 victory over AmaZulu.

Key Statistical Breakdown

The statistical overview below highlights how control of possession did not always translate to clinical output this weekend.

Key Statistical Takeaways

• Efficiency & Conversion Rates
  Efficiency proved to be the ultimate decider (as one would expect). Sekhukhune United led the way with 31% goal conversion rate (4 goals scored from just 13 attempts at goal), closely followed by AmaZulu FC (19%). Conversely, Kaizer Chiefs registered a 0% conversion rate from 21 attempts with their spread being 11 shots inside the box and 10 outside.
  
  
• Shot Volume vs Quality
  Orlando Pirates dominated shot volume conversation with 39 attempts at goal and only 11 being registered as on target. Their goal conversion rate was the lowest of teams who scored at least one goal this weekend. Their chances created as well as shots on goal kept them alive in the competition, but their manager’s post-match comments reflected genuine concern over the lack of quality up front during the afternoon.
  
  
• Possession vs Result
  Dominating the ball does not always guarantee a win or in this case, a passage to the semi-finals. While Mamelodi Sundowns leveraged 80% possession and 940 passes, they had to wait until the depths of extra-time to dispatch Polokwane City. Similarly, Pirates with 73% possession also had to go into extra-time to beat Durban City.
  
  
• Big Chances Missed
  Across all teams, 21 big chances were created this past weekend. Unfortunately for everyone involved, 14 of them were missed big chances. Pirates created the most and missed the most with five created and four missed against Durban City. AmaZulu FC (4 created & 2 missed) and Mamelodi Sundowns (3 created & 2 missed).
  
  
• Defence
  Durban City faced the most shots against with 39 attempts from Pirates with Polokwane also having a busy afternoon facing 30 attempts from Mamelodi Sundowns. AmaZulu FC conceded the most goals in their match (4) from 13 attempts at their goal.
  

Semi-Final Outlook

The semi-final match ups have been draw with Sekhukhune United facing Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns playing Golden Arrows. If the quarter-finals were anything to go by, efficiency will be key to winning this tournament.

Next up, we are back to mid-week Betway Premiership action on Tuesday as Sundowns opener their league campaign with a trip away to TS Galaxy. On Wednesday evening, Pirates play in Durban against AmaZulu FC and Kaizer Chiefs host a MTN 8 efficient Sekhukhune United.