Video: Thanks to En-Nesyri, Vicente begins his mission with Al-Ittihad with an African victory

Germany’s Jens Weissing kicked off his reign as Al-Ittihad head coach with an African scalp, and he had Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesyri to thank for it.

The Tigers saw off South Africa’s Orlando Pirates 3-2 in a friendly on Tuesday, their first outing at an overseas training camp in the Spanish city of Marbella.

En-Nesyri got the ball rolling early. In the 11th minute, he headed home a cross from Abdulrahman Al-Aboud.

The Pirates hit back on 27 minutes. Mbatha unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box that beat Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic.

Two minutes into first-half stoppage time, Moussa Diaby restored the lead, drilling the ball with his left foot from the edge of the area.

Al-Ittihad had the upper hand throughout the first half, with Weissing fielding most of his key men before ringing the changes after the break.

The third goal did not arrive until the 85th minute, Nigerian striker George Ilenikhena firing home, though the South Africans pulled one back again before the final whistle.

Weissing’s side face Spain’s Las Palmas next on 25 July, before taking on Real Mallorca on the 30th of the same month.