Esteghlal lost to the Saudi Arabian side 1-0 in the AFC Champions League Elite 2024-25 on Tuesday.
“I believe we saw a very good game from a technical standpoint. Both teams started with different plans, aiming to score, and we focused on playing behind the opponents, knowing they had creative and experienced attackers. Our goal was to close the spaces and limit their chances while looking to strike on counter-attacks,” said Bakhtiarizadeh.
“Defensively, we performed well except for a lapse that led to their goal. We had good chances to score on the counter, but we didn’t capitalize,” he added.
“Even after conceding, we had opportunities to equalize but failed to take advantage. Our strategy was based on the resources we had, not on whether it was a home or away game. We believed this approach could neutralize Al Nassr's stars like Ronaldo and Mane while hurting them on the break. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the most of our chances, which cost us the result,” Bakhtiarizadeh concluded.