Persian Gulf Pro League roundup:
Foreigners on fire as Blues retain edge on top
Argentine striker Gustavo Blanco banged in a 94th-minute winner as Esteghlal pulled off a second-half fightback to beat Zob Ahan 2-1 at home and stay on top of the Persian Gulf Pro League table.
On a day that the Tehran archrivals had their foreign players to thank for their victories, Uzbek winger Oston Urunov found the net twice to help 10-man Persepolis walk away with a 2-1 win at Nassaji Mazandaran earlier on Monday.
It took Urunov six minutes to bag his first goal when the host’s Brazilian keeper Luan Polli made a mess of saving his low drive from the edge of the box.
The Tehran Reds looked in control throughout the first half but a second booking for midfielder Soroush Rafiei five minutes after the break turned the game on its head.
Things went from bad to worse for the visitors on the hour mark as international keeper Alireza Beiranvand could only watch Amirmohammad Houshmand’s sizzling strike find the bottom corner.
The champions still showed character to restore their lead, courtesy of Urunov keeping composure in a one-on-one situation with Polli to put it away for his fourth goal in the Iranian top flight since joining Persepolis in February.
Trailing the top by a single point before the game, Persepolis held out Nassaji’s push for a second goal to seal the maximum points and remain in the hunt for a seventh league crown in eight years.
Nassaji, meanwhile, was dealt a massive blow in the survival battle though the northern Iranian club was lucky to remain outside the relegation zone on goal difference after Foolad Khuzestan fell to a 2-0 home defeat against Tractor later in the day.
Blues on course
Persepolis’s victory meant that Esteghlal kicked off the game at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium second in the table and Majid Aliyari’s delicate finish for the visiting side – the league’s best team on the road prior to Monday’s fixtures – six minutes into the game was the worst start Blues boss Javad Nekounam could have hoped for.
Esteghlal fans had to wait until the 64th minute for a much-needed equalizer, when Uzbek midfielder Jaloliddin Masharipov dummied past a Zob defender before firing into the roof of the net.
Esteghlal strikers Arman Ramezani and Payman Babaei were introduced late in a desperate quest for a winner though Zob looked more likely to score on the counter.
With the two sides looking destained for a repeat of the scoreline in the reverse fixture last November, Blanco came to the rescue for Nekounam’s side as he was first to a loose ball in the box before smashing it into top corner deep into stoppage time – sending the Blues bench and home crowd into a frenzy.
The result saw Esteghlal restore the one-point cushion on top of the table with four games to spare, as one of the tightest races for the Iranian league trophy in recent years is set to go down the wire.
Next for Esteghlal is another home game against Foolad, with Persepolis playing away to Masoud Shojaei’s in-form Havadar.
Elsewhere on Monday, Esteghlal Khuzestan salvaged a massive 1-1 draw at Sepahan to move above Nassaji and Foolad into safety zone on goal difference.
Javad Aqaeipour equalized for the visitors with a sublime overhead kick midway through the second half to cancel out Shahriar Moghanlou’s opener right before the break – a 15th goal of the campaign for the Sepahan striker who is clear on top of the league’s leading marksmen chart.
Rock-bottom club San’at Naft closed the gap on Nassaji and Foolad to three points with a 1-0 triumph over Mes Rafsanjan in Abadan, while Mohammad Omri converted from the spot late in the game to save Malavan a point in a 1-1 home draw against Havadar.
Iralco defeated Paykan 1-0 in Tehran, with Shams Azar and Golgohar sharing the points in a goalless game on Sunday.