PLDC - Ahvaz, After Esteghlal's devastating loss to their Khuzestani counter-part, Amir Ghalenoei shared a few words in a post-match press conference.

Esteghlal's coach said, "First, I would like to congratulate Abdollah Veisi, his players, and the people of Khuzestan, because they deserved this victory. They played better than us and controlled the game."

He continued, "Before their first goal, we were the dominant team, and could have scored. Both goals were because of our mistakes, particularly Amir Hossein Sadeghi. The first goal was laughable and players at this level shouldn't be making such mistakes. We were very weak. Our half-backs didn't play well."

Ghalenoei praised, "Iman Mobali has once again become one of the best play-makers in Iran in the past few games. Their whole team (Est. Khuzestan) played well, specially Mobali, Kolahkaj and Meydavoodi. I would like to congratulate Abdollah Veisi and his team, as they humbly played modern football."

Ghalenoei was questioned about whether his team underestimated their opponents today, and he replied, "We didn't underestimate them; we just had a bad day. Before the first goal we controlled the game, but after it our chemistry was ruined."

Regarding Khosrow Heydari's substitution, he said, "This player had a muscle cramp, and to avoid further complications, we subbed him out."

Amir Ghalenoei will review the video of the match with his team and find their mistakes and issues, so that they can better prepare for the Tehran Derby next week.

By: Arman Tamjidi