Cape Town - Man-of-the-Match Monnapule Saleng and Terrence Dzvukamanja provided the backbone of Orlando Pirates' victorious Nedbank Cup final performance at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Saleng and the Zimbabwean-born Dzvukamanja have flourished under coach José Riveiro and on Saturday, they were star performers in Pirates' 2-1 win over Sekhukhune United.
Striker Dzvukamanja scored the injury-time winner after Saleng provided the assist. The pair combined splendidly at the death to close out Pirates' championship-winning performance.
Pirates coach Riveiro can claim credit for Dzvukamanja's rise as a match-winner, and in recent weeks he has become a fixture in the starting XI.
Before Riveiro's arrival, the Zimbabwean was a peripheral player.
"I am so happy for Terrence because we went through difficult times with him during the season," said Riveiro.
"The boy was struggling and suffering a lot. Sometimes people did not understand him, but he is a fantastic player, and that is why he plays for Orlando Pirates."
Midfielder Saleng was a dominant midfield force. Sekhukhune struggled to contain him on attacking sorties, out wide in the right channels.
He has been hugely impressive and looks like he'll be a mainstay of future Pirates' teams.
" I am sure that Saleng can do it better, and he will improve," said Riveiro. "It is his first season at this level. I think his dimension (capability) is going to change year after year."
Behind Saleng and Dzvukamanja was a group of players who did the team proud. They were Miguel Timm, Thembinkosi Lorch, Sipho Chaine, Tapelo Xoki and Paseka Mako, all of whom produced solid performances.
Riveiro singled out Timm, who was part of Pirates' four-man midfield. He bossed the central areas and broke down several Sekhukhune attacks, thanks to his fine sense of anticipation.
"Timm has the game in his brain, and that helped him to reduce his own shortfalls," said Riveiro.
"He's not the fastest player on the field, but his brain is quicker than the average player. And he used it to be in the right place today."
Lorch held his own out wide on the flank, and his attacking forays always raised the prospect of a scoring chance in the final third. Sekhukhune did well to man-mark him effectively, and that freed up Dzvukamanja on occasions.
Like Saleng, Lorch will be a mainstay in future Pirates teams.
Goalkeeper Chaine was reliable, and pulled off a few saves. He marshalled his four-man rearguard well.
Central defender Xoki is becoming a reliable penalty taker, and his first-half spot-kick allowed Pirates to equalise. He offers formidable defence in front of Chaine. He wore the captain's armband on Saturday and proved a worthy leader.
Defender Mako has not always commanded a regular starting line-up berth, but on Saturday, he showed that he will become an important part of next season's teams. He made a few overlapping runs and produced a few goalmouth crosses.
The one big disappointment for Pirates was striker Kermit Erasmus. He looked out of sorts ad hashed a few first-half scoring chances. He also appeared to be out of sync with his teammates in the striking zone.
@Herman_Gibbs
IOL Sport