Pitso Mosimane suffered yet another defeat since taking over Esteghlal FC, this time at the hands of Neymar’s Al Hilal in the Asian Champions League on Monday night.
This is Mosimane’s third straight defeat since taking charge of the team last month. In this one, former Fulham and Newcastle FC striker Aleksandar Mitrović notched the hat-trick that demolished the faded Iran giants.
Esteghlal FC came into the match looking for a positive result that could have provided the much-needed confidence boost.
However, it was not to be in the high-stakes Asian Champions League where Neymar’s Al Hilal were in fine fettle.
In particular, Mitrović was a thorn in the flesh for Mosimane’s defenders. He opened the scoresheet for Al Hilal after 15 minutes of play.
The Serbian striker doubled their scores on the 33-minute mark to further weaken Esteghlal FC’s hope of a coming back.
As such, the Saudi Pro League giants, Al Hilal, the home side, led 2-0 at half-time. At that point, Esteghlal FC showed no sign of coming back into the game.
Mitrović then completed his hat-trick after 74 minutes as Mosimane’s men were left chasing shadows. It ended 3-0 in favour of Al Hilal.
HOW MOSIMANE HAS FARED IN THE PERSIAN GULF LEAGUE
Last week, Esteghlal FC suffered a 2-0 defeat against league leaders Tractor FC. The defeat marked their first loss against Tractor FC in five meetings.
Before that, they had been humbled 3-1 by Kheybar Khorramabad FC. This left Mosimane questioning the mentality of his players.
As such, they find themselves sitting in 12th place in the Persian Gulf Pro League. As it stands, they have just eight points from nine matches. And they are three points above the relegation zone.
In addition, the team’s form has been particularly below par, raising concerns about whether the former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly will help them turn a corner.
Firstly, Mosimane is beset with instilling confidence in the players. Furthermore, his team’s disappointing run of form means they must invest all their energies in domestic competitions to avoid relegation.
Esteghlal FC’s performances have been poor, so much so that their CEO, Dr Farshid Samiiei, was forced to pen a lengthy letter of apology to the club’s fans.
How they will end the season remains to be seen, but this, so far, has proven to be a daunting task for the South African coach.
After struggling to save Saudi Pro League side Abha Club last season, Mosimane will be hoping for an improvement this time around.
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