After being held to a goalless draw by Esteghlal FC, an opposition manager has praised Pitso Mosimane's impact on the side's defence, comparing it to what it had been like before.
Gol Gohar were unable to find the back of the net during their encounter against the South African's team, settling for a draw that extended their winless run in the league to five games.
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Esteghlal, meanwhile, have managed two wins and a draw in their last five matches, moving them up to eighth place in the table.
Speaking after the match, Gol Gohar manager Mehdi Tartar highlighted how the Capital Blues have tightened up defensively since the appointment of the former Al Ahly coach.
"Esteghlal is a big team, and their defensive structure has improved. They don't give many opportunities to their opponents," the Iranian coach said, as quoted by Resaneh7.
"A team that had the worst defensive line in the league before Mosimane's arrival now has one of the best defensive structures in the league.
"A team with a good defensive structure can be hopeful."
Addressing the match itself, Tartar admitted that his side would have fallen behind had it not been for the heroics of goalkeeper Mohammad Reza Akhbari.
"In the first 30 minutes, considering our results over the past two weeks in the Premier League and our poor mental state, we were not strong, and Esteghlal had several good opportunities. Our goalkeeper, Akhbari, saved incredibly and kept us in the game," he explained.
"After that, we dominated the game, and the second half was completely under our control.
"Our players performed very well, and I think we had more possession of the ball and created opportunities that hit the post," he added.
The Iranian manager went on to conclude: "Overall, the result was fair, but Esteghlal's opportunities in the first half were very dangerous."
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