Persian Gulf Pro League wrap-up:
Mahdipour stunner sends Esteghlal clear on top
Esteghlal moved four points clear on top of the Persian Gulf Pro League after Mahdi Mahdipour’s superb strike helped the Tehran Blues edge out San’at Naft Abadan 1-0 at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Friday.
There was little to separate the two sides in the first half but Mahdipour broke the deadlock with a sizzling strike from 20 yards out as Javad Nekounam’s men kept a perfect home record in the ongoing Iranian top-flight campaign.
Meanwhile, a ninth defeat of the season – in head coach Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh’s first game in charge – saw San’at drop into the relegation zone.
Esteghlal is top of the table with 35 points – four points clear of Sepahan, which had its away fixture against Tractor postponed due to AFC Champions League involvement.
The Blues’ triumph came a day after third-placed archrival Persepolis blew the chance to overtake Sepahan in the table, as new Brazilian coach Osmar Loss Vieira, a number two to ex-manager Yahya Golmohammadi, got off to a losing start on the Reds bench.
Amir Nouri scored the only goal of the game with a screamer 15 minutes from normal time as Iralco inflicted a second loss of the season on the defending champion.
Elsewhere, Mahdi Tartar’s Malavan FC continued its impressive run with a massive 1-0 away victory over Zob Ahan in Isfahan, courtesy of Reza Ja’fari’s composed finish with three minutes left on the clock.
Shams Azar, the surprise package of the season, shared the spoils with bottom club Esteghlal Khuzestan in a goalless stalemate in Qazvin – the same scoreline for Mes Rafsanjan and new manager Moharram Navidkia at home against Masoud Shojaei’s Havadar.
Paykan and Nassaji Mazandaran played to a 1-1 draw in Tehran.
Mohammadreza Azadi headed home on the half-hour mark to put Nassaji in front, only to see his goal canceled out by Hamed Pakdel’s 57th-minute equalizer from the spot.
In the opening fixture of the Iranian league after a six-week Asian Cup pause, Golgohar Sirjan walked away with a 1-0 win at Foolad Khuzestan, thanks to a Saeid Saharkhizan’s close-range volley in the first half.