Ajax have advanced to the final thanks to a 1-0 win over Orlando Pirates in the quarterfinals, followed by a 2-1 aggregate victory against Bidvest Wits in the semifinals. The Cape Town side, under the leadership of coach Roger De Sa, have looked composed and intelligent in the way they have approached their cup matches, belying their youthful nature.
Chiefs, meanwhile, opened their season with a massively entertaining 5-3 win over Maritzburg United in the quarters, followed by a more controlled and subdued 2-1 aggregate victory over Bloemfontein Celtic in the final four. New coach Steve Komphela is still imprinting his own identity on the team, and nothing would help his cause more than lifting the MTN8 trophy.
This match sees Ajax and Chiefs renew their rivalry in cup competitions: the teams have met in 11 previous matches in this regard, with the Soweto side claiming four wins compared to three for the Urban Warriors. Each side has scored 12 goals in the sequence.
However, an interesting twist to the cup statistics is that the Amakhosi have never claimed an outright win over Ajax in the Top Eight. Their first such meeting was in the semifinal of the BP Top 8 back in 2000/01, when the Cape side claimed a stunning 3-0 away win – one of the goals was scored by their most famous graduate, former Bafana Bafana captain Steven Pienaar.
The teams next met in the competition in the semifinals of the MTN8 in 2009: Ajax won their home leg 1-0 before the return game ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw that is remembered as a classic. The pair’s most recent cup clashes were in the semis of the 2011 MTN8. The Amakhosi’s home game ended goalless, while the return leg in Cape Town finished 1-1 – this saw Chiefs advance to the final on away goals.
Included in the teams’ cup history is one final: the 2009/10 Telkom Knockout, which was won 2-1 by Chiefs thanks to goals from Mandla Masango and Knowledge Musona.
Across all competitions, the Amakhosi have claimed 18 wins compared to Ajax’s 12 from 43 matches. Chiefs have also enjoyed superiority over the Cape side in recent meetings: the last three league games between the teams have all been won by the Soweto side, who have scored four unanswered goals in the process.
PREVIOUS CUP MEETINGS
Season Cup Result Scorers
2000/01 BP Top 8, semifinal Chiefs 0-3 Ajax Makasa, Pienaar, Scott
2002/03 Coca-Cola, semifinal Ajax 0-1 Chiefs Fredericks
2002/03 Absa Cup, 2nd round Ajax 0-0* Chiefs
2003/04 Coca-Cola, qfinal Chiefs 3-2 Ajax Zwane, Radebe, Mayo; Mugeyi, Zibi
2003/04 Absa Cup, 2nd round Chiefs 0-1 Ajax Mugeyi
2007/08 Nedbank Cup, 1st rd Chiefs 2-0 Ajax McCarthy (pen), Khenyeza
2009/10 MTN8, semi, 1st leg Ajax 1-0 Chiefs Selolwane (pen)
2009/10 MTN8, semi, 2nd leg Chiefs 3-3 Ajax Torrealba, Dladla, Tshabalala; Evans 2 (1 pen), Cale
2009/10 Telkom KO, final Chiefs 2-1 Ajax Masango, Musona; Sibisi
2011/12 MTN8, semi, 1st leg Chiefs 0-0 Ajax
2011/12 MTN8, semi, 2nd leg Ajax 1-1 Chiefs Fanteni; Dladla
LAST 10 LEAGUE RESULTS
Season Result Scorers
2010/11 Ajax 1-0 Chiefs Carelse (pen)
2010/11 Chiefs 4-0 Ajax Letsholonyane, Musona, Tshabalala
2011/12 Ajax 2-1 Chiefs Fanteni (pen), Manyama; Letsholonyane
2011/12 Chiefs 2-0 Ajax Letsholonyane, Parker
2012/13 Chiefs 3-0 Ajax Gaxa, Parker, Tshabalala
2012/13 Ajax 3-1 Chiefs Manyama 2, Khenyeza; Mashamaite
2013/14 Ajax 1-0 Chiefs Morris
2013/14 Chiefs 2-0 Ajax Musona 2
2014/15 Ajax 0-1 Chiefs Mashamaite
2014/15 Chiefs 1-0 Ajax Masango
CUP RECORD
P W D L GF GA
Ajax 11 3 4 4 12 12
Chiefs 11 4 4 3 12 12
OVERALL RECORD (all competitions)
P W D L GF GA
Ajax 43 12 13 18 37 53
Chiefs 43 18 13 12 53 37