Reds boss Golmohammadi hails ‘proper attitude’ in derby triumph
Persepolis manager Yahya Golmohammadi was full of praise for his players for showing a “proper attitude” throughout a massive 1-0 victory over archrival Esteghlal in a top-of-the-table battle in the Persian Gulf Pro League.
Both sides were in dazzling form prior to the 100th Tehran derby, with Persepolis – trailing Esteghlal and Sepahan on top of the table by a single point – eyeing a fourth successive win after the Persian new year vacations while Esteghlal was on a run of nine victories in 10 unbeaten games – including a 6-1 hammering of Havadar last time out – since the defeat away to Sepahan in January.
While both sets of supporters were expecting Esteghlal’s in-form winger Mehdi Qayedi and his opposite number in the red shirt Mehdi Torabi to decide the fate of the contest, half-time substitute Issa Al-e Kassir, who missed the first half of the campaign through injury, emerged as the hero of the day for Persepolis as he bagged his first league goal of the season to help his team leapfrog Esteghlal and move atop the table before Sepahan’s home game against Malavan on Monday.
“It was a tough game. We started on the front foot though the high temperature really affected the performance of both sides in the first half,” said Golmohammadi, who is unbeaten in 10 Tehran derbies on the Reds bench.
“But our players had the proper attitude and the winning mentality in the dressing room at half time to leave the pitch with maximum points,” added the Iranian, whose team remains in contention to lift a sixth league trophy in seven years.
“Thank God we scored early in the second half and then our backline and keeper did a great job when Esteghlal pushed forward through long balls in our box. My players deserve credit as they were under a lot of pressure to win this game and they got what they deserved.”
While both Persepolis fullbacks Danial Esmaeilifar and Ali Nemati delivered man-of-the-match performances to keep Qayedi and Mohammad Mohebbi at bay, Sunday’s game will surely be one to remember for 33-year-old Al-e Kassir, whose two-year Persepolis career has been dominated by injuries and a six-month suspension for a controversial goal celebration in the AFC Champions League in 2020 but now has two derby winners among 17 goals in the Reds outfit under his belt.
“It took him some time to recover from the latest injury but he rejoined the training with positive energy and deserved the goal and the celebration as he has been through a lot. I can only hope he keeps up the good work in the future,” Golmohammadi said of his striker, who was booked for taking his shirt off after getting on the scoresheet.
Meanwhile, Esteghlal head coach Ricardo Sa Pinto said his players “should have done better with the final balls” in a “balanced first half.”
“We conceded an unlucky goal early in the second half as the ball hit the back of our defender and then bounced off the post before going in. But that’s what a derby is all about. One chance and one goal,” added the Portuguese.