Persian Gulf Pro League:
Sepahan maintains perfect run; Esteghlal edges Mes
Issa Alekasir bagged a brace on his debut as Sepahan routed San’at Naft Abadan 4-1 at home to keep its perfect start to the Persian Gulf Pro League season.
Esteghlal, meanwhile, defeated Mes Rafsanjan 1-0 – courtesy of a second-half own goal by the host center-back Meysam Taymouri.
In Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan, summer signing Morteza Asadi headed home his fifth goal of the campaign to put Sepahan in front with 13 minutes into the game before Arya Yousefi’s effort went in off Iraqi keeper Fahad Talib’s hand for the home side’s second on the half-hour mark.
Alekasir, whose contribution in the second part of last season played a pivotal role in the league and cup glories for Persepolis, had to wait for two months to make a first appearance for Sepahan – due to a contract registration issue – but it took him only 33 minutes of playing time to open his account in the yellow jersey.
The striker dribbled past a defender and then his effort from an acute angle found the bottom corner, though he refused to celebrate out of respect for his former club.
Alekasir’s second of the night came in the 50th minute, when he tapped in from close range on the rebound after Mohammad Karimi’s sizzling strike was initially kept out by Talib.
Prolific skipper Taleb Rikani pulled one back for the visiting side 11 minutes from normal time but it proved too little too late as San’at fell to a third defeat in five outings.
The victory was the fifth in as many games for Jose Morais’s men, though they were deducted four points by the Iranian football governing body last month over a budget cap violation during the summer transfer window.
Elsewhere, there was little to separate Mes and Esteghlal during the course of the 90 minutes, but Javad Nekounam’s men believed they deserved a first-half spot-kick when Mehrdad Mohammadi went down in the box by Taymouri, with the referee thinking otherwise.
The Tehran Blues still had their ex-defender to thank for the maximum points, as Taymouri’s header on a Saeed Mehri’s cross found the back of Mes net seven minutes after the break.
The away win took Esteghlal’s tally for the season to 12 points.