Roberto Mancini made his debut on the Saudi Arabia national team bench with a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica in Newcastle.
The friendly match was played at St. James’ Park on Friday evening.
Francisco Calvo opened the scoring after 12 minutes, followed by Manfred Ugalde.
Ali Albulayhi got one back for Saudi Arabia, but Randall Leal sealed the scoreline late on.
The game took place in practically an empty arena with barely anyone present.
Mancini resigned from the Italy job on August 13 and within a couple of weeks had signed a contract with the Saudi football federation until 2027, reported to be worth over €20m per year.
He was replaced by Luciano Spalletti, who will make his debut for Italy in tomorrow’s EURO 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia in Skopje.
Money can’t buy happiness!!!!
Ha ha glad they lost 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 money grabber Mancini