After coming off the bench to help Orlando Pirates win the MTN8 final against Stellenbosch FC on Saturday, Relebohile Mofokeng has declined to take credit for their glory, saying it was a team effort.
Mofokeng came on as a late substitute with the score at 1-1 at Moses Mabhida Stadium and caused a huge stir when he created a game-breaking 91st-minute goal, scored by Tshegofatso Mabasa, as the final looked headed for extra time.
The strike was tinged by controversy as Mofokeng played a quickly taken free-kick that caught Stellies' defence napping, but from metres ahead of where the infringement against Patrick Maswanganyi took place.
Mofokeng netted Bucs' third goal in injury time to guide the Buccaneers to their third successive Top 8 trophy, making history as the first team to achieve that feat.
Pirates super-sub Relebohile Mofokeng credits team for late MTN8 win
Mabasa shares what Riveiro said to him before hitting the pitch to score Bucs' game-breaking goal
Journalist
Image: Alche Greeff/Gallo Images
After coming off the bench to help Orlando Pirates win the MTN8 final against Stellenbosch FC on Saturday, Relebohile Mofokeng has declined to take credit for their glory, saying it was a team effort.
Mofokeng came on as a late substitute with the score at 1-1 at Moses Mabhida Stadium and caused a huge stir when he created a game-breaking 91st-minute goal, scored by Tshegofatso Mabasa, as the final looked headed for extra time.
The strike was tinged by controversy as Mofokeng played a quickly taken free-kick that caught Stellies' defence napping, but from metres ahead of where the infringement against Patrick Maswanganyi took place.
Mofokeng netted Bucs' third goal in injury time to guide the Buccaneers to their third successive Top 8 trophy, making history as the first team to achieve that feat.
The 19-year-old is making something of a habit of coming off the bench and scoring late goals in cup finals β he produced another gem in the 94th minute to secure Pirates a 2-1 win against Mamelodi Sundowns in last season's Nedbank Cup in June.
βIt's not so much they trust me to come in the second half and make things happen, but I feel when I come in I work for the team,β Mofokeng said afterwards.
βWe all worked for the team. The players who started are the ones who tired Stellenbosch for me to come in and do the simple things.
βWhen you start from the bench, it doesn't mean you won't play. You have to be ready.
βI'm grateful to my teammates for helping me score. Tshego [Mabasa] was the one who passed to me so I could score. I came in and worked and they trusted me from the bench. I started games where I scored and assisted.β
Mabasa also explained his conversation with Pirates coach Jose Riveiro before coming on as a sub and producing the breakthrough late strike. Mabasa replaced Evidence Makgopa in the second half.
βThe message from the coach was to play simple. He told me I was in this position a few months ago in the Nedbank Cup final and I said to myself, Rele [Mofokeng] and Kabelo Dlamini [his fellow substitutes], we should go and win this game for the team.
βThat's it and that is what we did.β
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