Pitso Mosimane: 5 Worst Losses for South African Manager After Abha Club’s Mauling Against Al Nassr

Pitso Mosimane: 5 Worst Losses for South African Manager After Abha Club’s Mauling Against Al Nassr

Byron Pillay
April 3, 2024 at 10:31 AM
In this article:
Abha logo
Abha
Saudi Arabia
31
Al Nassr FC logo
Al Nassr
Saudi Arabia
33
Cristiano Ronaldo logo
C. Ronaldo
Al Nassr FC logoFPortugal logo
Saudi Professional League logo
KSA Professional League
Saudi Arabia
  • Pitso Mosimane's Abha Club were beaten 8-0 by Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League
  • The South African coach has only tasted defeat 98 times in his professional career
  • Mosimane's next biggest loss was 5-0 while he was still Mamelodi Sundowns' boss

Pitso Mosimane has developed a reputation for being a talented manager.

The South African tactician is one of the best coaches the African continent has produced, and his win/loss record is a testament to that.

Pitso Mosimane suffered the worst loss of his career at the hands of Al-Nassr.
Following Pitso Mosimane's side losing 8-0, Sports Brief looks at the five biggest defeats in his career as a manager. Image: @Lorenz_KO.
Source: Twitter

Transfermarkt notes that Jingles, as he is affectionately known, has been in charge of 509 matches as a coach, only suffering 98 defeats in the process.

While losing is uncommon for him, losing by a big margin is extremely rare.

Sports Brief explores the five times Mosimane’s sides have suffered a heavy defeat.

Mosimane’s five worst losses

8-0 against Al-Nassr

While many of his losses are by a slim margin, the worst came from a Cristiano Ronaldo-led masterclass. Al-Nassr put his side to the sword in their recent Saudi Pro League fixture, winning 8-0.

The Portuguese star scored a hat-trick in the first half and notched up an assist as Al-Nassr raced out to a 5-0 lead.

Even without Ronaldo and Sadio Mane on the pitch for the second 45 minutes, they still easily scored another three goals.

5-0 against Bloemfontein Celtic

Mosimane’s next biggest defeat came as manager of Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Brazilians took on Celtic at the Lucas 'Masterpieces' Moripe Stadium in 2015, looking to cut Kaizer Chiefs’ lead at the top of the ABSA Premiership.

Celtic had other ideas on the day and held a 3-0 lead at the break. Frank ‘Gabadinho’ Mhango grabbed a brace, as Celtic pulled off a surprise 5-0 win, GOAL reported.

4-1 against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

The following year, Mosimane’s Sundowns conceded four goals in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Asian champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors ran out 4-1 winners in the game against the South African side, claiming fifth place in the tournament.

Percy Tau grabbed a goal for African champions early in the second half, but it proved to be nothing more than a consolation goal, The Japan Times noted.

3-0 against Al Ettifaq

Abha Club are not having the best of times in the Saudi Pro League, and their 8-0 loss wasn’t their only big defeat.

In March they were beaten 3-0 by Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq, with former player Karl Toko Ekambi scoring against them.

Mosimane was said to be quite upset after the loss, as he never wanted the club to let the Cameroon international leave in the first place.

3-0 against Smouha

In January 2022, Mosimane suffered only his sixth defeat at the time as the manager of Al Ahly in Egypt.

The Club of the Century were beaten 3-0 by Smouha, the first time they lost by a three-goal margin under the South African tactician’s leadership.

As noted by iDiskiTimes, it was the club’s heaviest defeat in 75 games since Mosimane took over and threatened their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals of the League Cup.

Mosimane trolled online after heavy defeat

Sports Brief earlier reported how Pitso Mosimane was mocked on social media after his side were beaten by Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and grabbed an assist in the first half alone, as his team ran out 8-0 winners over Mosimane's Abha Club.

Fans were quick to make fun of the result and took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on how the South African would be sacked after the loss.

Authors
Byron Pillay photo
Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
Tags
Pitso MosimaneSouth Africa