Were it not for Guilherme Bissoli being unavailable through suspension, Suphanat Mueanta might not even had been on the field in the 24th minute of Wednesday's ASEAN Club Championship final first leg between his Buriram United side and hosts Selangor.
After all, after being sidelined with a thigh injury for two months, he had only just returned to injury in last week's semifinal second leg against Johor Darul Ta'zim.
He was fit enough to come on as a 61st-minute substitute, although the fact that the tie went into extra-time before Buriram prevailed probably meant that he was out on the field for longer than coach Mark Jackson would have liked.
Suphanat would most likely have once again been kept as a game changer off the bench against Selangor -- until Bissoli's red card a week ago necessitated the former's reintroduction to the starting XI.
As fate would have it, it proved to be a blessing in disguise as Suphanat popped up with the only goal of the game in the six minutes before the half-hour mark at Petaling Jaya Stadium -- handing his side a 1-0 victory to take back to Thailand ahead of next week's second leg at their Chang Arena home.
Still, there was another twist to the tale as Suphanat had to be replaced in the 69th minute. He initially tried to make his way off the field unassisted but, obviously limping, would eventually make his exit via a stretcher.
It is now his potentially his turn to be a big loss for Buriram in the return encounter. Given how his irrefutable talent has often been hampered by injuries, few would begrudge him a better run with his body holding up.
Nonetheless, if the Thai League 1 giants go on to successfully defend their crown, Suphanat would still have played a pivotal role regardless of whether he is fit to play in seven days.
The decisive moment on Wednesday in Malaysia was one entirely manufactured in Thailand.
Receiving possession 30 yards from goal, Theerathon Bunmathan was given all the time and space in the world to assess his option. With a nonchalant swing of his wand of a left foot, he floated the ball into the box.
It was a delivery that perfectly intersected with a clever run from Suphanat, who somehow found himself completely unmarked in a crowded area after ghosting in between Quentin Cheng and Richmond Ankrah.
While he found himself in awkward position, the 23-year-old had the nous and craft to expertly steer a header just inside the post to hand Buriram a lead they would hold on to.
But although the visitors had entered the tie as favourites, Selangor deserve credit for rising to the challenge -- as they have done all throughout the campaign.
The Malaysia Super League outfit were unlucky not to equalise in the 32nd minute when a ferocious freekick by Alvin Fortes came back off the bar, with Mohammad Abualnadi's conversion on the rebound correctly ruled out for offside.
Two minutes before the break, the Red Giants had another opportunity when Faisal Abdul Halim's delivery from the left wing picked out Chrigor -- who sent an effort a whisker wide even though the ball had actually came off his shoulder after he failed to connect cleanly with a header.
Suphanat did have another sighting at goal right on the stroke of halftime when he was released by a slide-rule pass from Supachai Jaided albeit at an acute angle, with Selangor goalkeeper Sikh Izhan doing well to make himself big and making the save with his leg.
Selangor were unlucky once more seven minutes after the hour mark when the woodwork again came to Buriram's rescue -- this time after Hugo Boumous, at full stretch, managed to get a toe on Cheng's right-wing cross to divert it towards goal only to see it come back off the foot of the post.
The hosts never stopped trying but the increased adventured they showed in search of an equaliser also handed their opponents opportunities to kill off the contest.
Theerathon caught everyone by surprise when a corner was half-cleared into his path in the 77th minute, letting fly with his rarely-utilised right foot and just missing the top corner.
Then, in the 90th minute, a Buriram break really should have led to a second -- and probably would have had it not been Phitiwat Sukjitthammakul released down the right.
The path to goal was clear but being this far forward was almost unchartered territory for the anchorman. And pace has never been one of his strong suits.
As Phitiwat toiled his way into the box, it had given Harith Haiqal enough time to race back -- despite his opponent's significant head start -- to make a sliding block just as the trigger was finally about to be pulled.
It means that Selangor still have everything to play for when they head to Buriram next week.
And it also meant that Suphanat would ultimately be the one that produced the defining moment from the first leg.
It just remains to be seen if he will be around to grace the second leg with his undeniable star quality.