When the signing of Álvaro González was announced at the start of the month, it was expected that his primary contribution would be to bolster the already-impressive defence of Johor Darul Ta'zim.
On his debut for the Malaysia Super League giants on Tuesday, the Spaniard showed he could be rather useful at the other end of the pitch too.
As JDT resumed their AFC Champions League Elite campaign following the mid-season break with a trip to bottom side Central Coast Mariners, it initially looked as though they might suffer a costly slip-up.
Despite already being eliminated and having had to play the entire second half a man down, the Mariners offered plenty of resistance and even managed to equalise after the visitors had taken an inevitable lead.
Nonetheless, JDT were not to be denied largely thanks to a star turn from González -- who would pop up with his second goal of the evening on debut with 11 minutes remaining to hand his side a 2-1 victory that keeps them firmly on course for the knockout round.
In an absolutely chaotic encounter that saw three players go off injured by the 41st minute, JDT were handed a real advantage in stoppage time at the end of the first half after Dylan Peraic-Cullen recklessly raced out of his box and hacked down Arif Aiman after the latter had deftly nipped past him and looked set to race towards and unguarded goal.
From the resultant freekick, JDT looked to have capitalised immediately when Bergson da Silva bundled the ball home after Heberty's initial effort had come back off the bar -- only for the strike to be ruled out for offside upon VAR review.
With the numerical advantage, JDT pushed forward with more intent in the second half and González was unlucky not to score in the 63rd minute his header off a lovely cross from Arif came back off the bar.
A minute later, however, the same trick worked a treat as Arif found space down the left and, on this occasion, opted to a low delivery that was coolly sidefooted by González past Adam Pavlesic.
Having finally gotten a lead to hold on to, the visitors were then stunned in the 70th minute as Central Coast equalised against the odds.
Brian Kaltak did well to keep a ball alive at the byline. His header back across the face of goal left an unmarked Alou Kuol with a simple finish.
The flag originally put a halt to the celebrations but, once more, a VAR decision would come to Central Coast's aid and level the scoreline.
JDT had it all to do again. Thankfully, for them, González was in an adventurous mood.
Having ventured forward for a set-piece, it initially looked as though González's foray might go to waste as a short corner routine saw the visitors rigidly work the ball on the periphery on the penalty area.
Still, as the ball was eventually switched to Heberty on the right, the Brazilian proceeded to swing in a tantalising delivery that was met with González with an ingenious flicked header with his back to goal that had Pavlesic rooted to the spot on its way in off the post.
This time, JDT were able to hold on to the lead and claim three points that could yet seal their progress as early as the conclusion of this round of fixtures.
González was not the only new face to feature on Tuesday. Fellow Spaniards Jonathan Viera and Roque Mesa were other well-credentialled recent arrivals immediately added to Héctor Bidoglio's starting XI -- although the latter lasted just 26 minutes before becoming one of those first-half injury casualties.
Having been dominant on the domestic front for a decade now, it is evident that JDT have their sights on continental glory.
Their three new arrivals will be looking to play their part in that, although González now already has.