Pitso Mosimane’s new side Esteghlal FC lost 1-0 to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the Asian Champions League on Tuesday.
The South African tactician himself wasn’t on the bench, although he arrived at his new club on Tuesday morning.
However, due to the short time between his arrival and today’s game, Mosimane’s official work at the oldest club in Iranian football only starts on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, they faced Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the AFC Champions League and held them to a goalless draw for large parts of the game.
But in the 81st minute, former Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte scored the only goal of the match via a header. Esteghlal goalkeeper Seyed Hossein Hosseini had parried an initial header by Cristiano Ronaldo following a corner but Laporte converted the rebound from close range.
Al Nassr came into the game, winning six game in a row, while Esteghlal had lost three of their last four games.
The Royal Blues, as Mosimane’s new side are commonly known, return to action on Saturday when they will face Kheybar Khorramabad in the Persian Gulf Pro League, which will be Mosimane’s first official match in charge.
