Pitso Mosimane’s Al-Ahli return to Saudi Arabian league summit
Coach Pitso Mosimane’s Al-Ahli Saudi returned to the Saudi Arabian First Division Championship summit after edging Al-Orobah 1-0 on February 13 2023.
Striker Bastos scored the only goal of the second-tier league match at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium.
The Angola’s Palancas Negras player scored in the 53rd minute.
Bastos did not make squad for a friendly that ended 1-1 against Bafana Bafana last November.
WHAT THE WIN TRANSLATES TO FOR PITSO MOSIMANE’S TEAM
The Angolan forward’s strike enabled Al-Ahli to displaced previous leaders Alhazem. The deposed leaders now lie second, three points behind the Pitso Mosimane’s charges.
However, Al-Ahli have played one game more.
This means that the top-three slots might change again if Alhazem beat Alqaisumah on Friday.
Pitso Mosimane’s side had gone top two weeks ago, but eventually nose-dived to fourth place.
Al-Ahli climbed down the ladder after suffering a 4-1 loss to AL-Okhodood days ago.
It was the first defeat for the former Bafana Bafana boss since he accepted the Al-Ahli challenge last year.
However, the celebrated South African coach is on course to deliver on his mandate.
Al-Ahli’s management charged the ex-Bafana Bafana mentor with steering the Jeddah-based club back to the Saudi Arabian Professional League.
The 57-year-old accepted the challenge two months after walking out on his contract with Al Ahly in Egypt.
The ex-SuperSport trainer said he felt exhausted by the demands of coaching the Egyptian football powerhouse.
Mosimane led Al Ahly to two FIFA Club World Cup bronze medals.
He also delivered two CAF Champions League trophies in three attempts, among other silverware.
HOW THE EX-BAFANA BAFANA HANDLER IS DETERMINED TO AWAKEN AL-AHLI
Now, he is determined to turnaround the fortunes of Al-Ahli who are a sleeping giant of Saudi Arabian football.
The former Bafana Bafana boss has won nine league games, drawn five matches and lost once with the Jeddah-based outfit.
The ninth win was over Al-Orobah on Monday evening.
Al-Orobah are still perched on 14th place of the 18-member log table with 24 points from 21 games.
Further down the table, bottom-based Alshoura are destined for relegation. Alshoura have 11 points from 20 games.
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