Pitso Mosimane marked his second win since taking over as manager of Esteghlal FC with a clean 2-0 victory over Foolad in the Iran Persian Gulf League at Foolad Khuzestan Stadium on Saturday.

Mosimane’s squad demonstrated their determination from the outset, with Brazilian defender Raphael Silva finding the net just two minutes into the match, followed by Amirali Sadeghi, who doubled the lead in the 21st minute.

The Tehran-based team nearly scored a third through Uzbekistan winger Jaloliddin Masharipov just before half-time; however, the goal was ruled out by VAR, keeping the score unchanged for the remainder of the match.

The South African coach faced a tough start to his journey in Iran, enduring losses in his first three league games against Kheybar and Tractor, along with a 3-0 defeat to the Saudi powerhouse Al Hilal in the AFC Champions League Elite.

This latest victory signifies Esteghlal’s first consecutive wins in the league this season, as Mosimane celebrated his initial success with a narrow 1-0 win over Mes Rafsanjan before the last FIFA international break.

In international competitions, the former Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly head coach watched his team follow the loss to Hilal with back-to-back draws against Uzbek club Pakhtakor Tashkent FC and the prestigious Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia. At present, Mosimane’s team is positioned eighth in the Iran Persian Gulf League standings, boasting 14 points, although they face the potential of dropping to ninth as Gol Gohar, positioned below them, has a game in hand set for Monday.

Overall, the 60-year-old coach’s record now includes two victories, two draws, and three defeats as his squad readies to compete against second-tier team Mes Kerman FC in the round of 32 of the Hazfi Cup on Wednesday evening.