The Iranian team was held to a 3-3 draw against Pakhtakor in the opening Group B match of the 2021 AFC Champions League on Wednesday.
“I think everyone who has watched this match would have greatly enjoyed it,” said Khatibi.
“We mentioned a few points to the players, they did them very well in the first half. We did some analysis for the second half and the players did their best.
“One of our analysis points was to put pressure on Dragan Ceran and we did it well, but unfortunately on occasions our players neglected to pressure him and we conceded two goals in the same manner,” he added.
“The players promised me to fight and they did that perfectly. I am really proud of my players and I would like to say congratulations to them. I hope we can omit our defects and be better in the next matches," said Khatibi.