Orlando Pirates head coach Jose Riveiro has long earmarked Relebohile Mofokeng as a trump card in big cup matches, particularly in finals, going back to last season.
Riveiro raised eyebrows in the MTN8 final against Stellenbosch FC, after starting Mofokeng and Tshegofatso Mabasa on the bench.
However, the decision paid dividends after the duo came off the bench to score two decisive goals in a 3-1 victory.
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The head coach initially saw the potential in Mofokeng to win them cup finals, after he introduced him off the bench in the second stanza against Mamelodi Sundowns a season ago.
Although Pirates only won on penalties in that match after a goalless draw, the Spaniard repeated the trick in the Nedbank Cup final in June, and this time around, the teenager netted the winner in a 2-1 win.
In hindsight, it should not have been a surprise that the 47-year-old tactician used Mofokeng as a secret weapon again last Saturday, as the silky attacker made a huge difference, coming off the bench to set up a goal and scoring one himself in the dying minutes.
Riveiro has admitted that he used Mofokeng and Mabasa off the bench to get the upper hand against Stellies.
"We used to know by memory the starting XI of teams in every league, maybe one or two players coming in and out. But usually the starting XI used to be repeated, in Man United, Orlando Pirates 30, 40 years ago... Real Madrid," Riveiro told reporters in his post-match press conference at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
"Nowadays, it is not like that anymore. The games are played at a very intense tempo and level. When we speak about trying to be better than the opponent in every moment of the game, in four, five games you have to play during the 90 minutes, because there's a difference.
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"You need everybody, you need quality. You need to have a strategy about the way you start the game and the way you're gonna finish the game, especially in games like this. We had one minute and we would go to extra time, 30 more minutes, two subs and one more spot [slot]. Many things that happen during the game are planned before the game starts," he added.