Sead Ramovic has spoken out following a disappointing defeat in his first match in charge of Tanzanian giants Young Africans SC.
The Dar es Salaam-based side suffered a surprising 2-0 loss to Sudanese outfit Al Hilal in their opening CAF Champions League group stage fixture.
Read: AFCON-winning boss 'eyeing' move to Europe
A 63rd-minute goal by Adama Coulibaly and a late strike by Yasser Muzammil ensured Yanga's continental campaign began on the wrong foot.
The Tanzanian team dominated the first half but struggled to find a breakthrough against a resilient Al Hilal defence.
When play resumed after the break, Yanga continued to apply pressure, but the Sudanese side capitalised by catching them out on the counterattack.
After the match, Ramovic reflected on the positives despite the loss, which marked his side's third consecutive defeat across all competitions and an unfortunate start to his tenure.
"We made mistakes, which is why we allowed them to score. I admit we lost at home, but there are still matches ahead, and I believe we will improve," he said, per The Citizen Tanzania.
"We created many scoring chances, including Aziz Ki's header, which was saved by Al Hilal's goalkeeper Issa Fofana, and Kennedy Musonda's header that hit the crossbar.
"All in all, we are going back to the drawing board to rectify our mistakes, even as we prepare for our next league match on Saturday against Namungo FC," the former TS Galaxy manager added.
Opposition coach Jean Florent Ikwange Ibenge, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction with his team's performance and their tactical execution.
"In the first half, we allowed Yanga to play their game while we played ours. It was part of our strategy," he remarked.
"In the second half, we anticipated that Yanga would continue to press, so we used counterattacks that earned us two goals.
"It's not about dominating but about converting chances and securing all three points."
Read: Al Ahly boss 'upsets' Tau
By Junaid Benjamin
Follow him here on X