Al Ahli Saudi FC boss Matthias Jaissle has reacted to sharing the spoils with Pitso Mosimane's Esteghlal, labelling them a strong outfit.
The Iranian outfit were held to a dramatic 2-2 draw by the Royals in an AFC Champions League clash on Monday night, ending the Saudi side's flawless group stage campaign.
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The game, played in front of a passionate home crowd, marked the first time Al Ahli dropped points in the competition, having won all five of their previous matches.
The visitors struck first when Raphael da Silva Arruda found the back of the net in the 42nd minute. However, just before the break, Ivan Toney converted from the penalty spot to level matters for Al Ahli.
Esteghlal regained the lead early in the second half through Mohammad Hossein Eslami, but the Iranian forward's eventful evening took a turn when he was sent off in the 81st minute.
Shortly after, Al Ahli earned a second penalty, which Toney calmly slotted home to rescue a point for his side.
Despite the dropped points, Al Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle remained upbeat about his team's performance.
"As expected, it was a strong and tough match against a physically strong team. Esteghlal wasn't strong in the match itself, but they were strong in set pieces and scored two goals from very few opportunities," he said, as quoted by mes7at.
"The result is positive, and most importantly, we didn't lose in the competition. If we look at the statistics, we only reached Esteghlal's goal with a penalty kick.
"We reached the final third of the match and created many opportunities, but we missed the final touch."
The South African, meanwhile, was less content, particularly with the officiating decisions on the night.
"The referee didn't seem pleased with his own performance tonight, and I don't know how he saw Al-Ahli's penalty amidst the crowd and was forced to review it on the VAR," Mosimane said post-match.
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