Persian Gulf Pro League:
Alekasir double sends Persepolis top
Issa Alekasir scored in each half as Persepolis defeated Havadar 2-0 to go top of the Persian Gulf Pro League table with 59 points.
The Tehran Reds – two points clear of Esteghlal – could still fall back to second when their city rivals welcome relegation-threatened Foolad Khuzestan to the capital’s Azadi Stadium today.
Persepolis skipper Omid Alishah, who became the first player to make 200 Pro League appearances in the Reds shirt, celebrated the milestone by adding yet another assist to his name as he found Alekasir with an inch-perfect pass in the box before his strike went into an empty net in the 14th minute.
The striker could have added a couple of goals in the first period, only to send his efforts wide in one-on-one with goalkeeper Alireza Haqiqi, while Persepolis’s in-form winger Oston Urunov was denied by Iranian unde-17 international Arsha Shakouri, who replaced injured Haqiqi, in similar position.
Chasing a seventh top-flight crown in eight seasons, Persepolis had to ride its luck to avoid an equalizer in the second half before Alekasir bagged the all-important second goal with 15 minutes left on the clock, tapping Danial Esmaeilifar’s low cross into the roof of the net as Masoud Shojaei’s Havadar suffered a first league defeat in seven games since the home loss to Esteghlal in mid-March.
“We were not good in tactical terms but should have still put the game to bed before the break, while Havadar and its coach deserve credit for the way they played today,” Persepolis head coach Osmar Loss said after the match.
When asked about his future, the Brazilian caretaker – who is yet to have his contract extended beyond the end of the campaign – said: “All I’m thinking of is the remaining three games in the next 20 days and then we’ll see what happens for the next season.”
Persepolis will play Esteghlal Khuzestan and Mes Rafsanjan at home either side of a visit to Shams Azar.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Mohammad Papi’s fifth-minute header saw Shams Azar defeat Malavan FC 1-0 at home.
In Tabriz, first-half goals by Gustavo Vagenin and Rahman Ja’fari – the second coming from the spot – helped Tractor beat Golgohar Sirjan 2-0 to close the gap on third-placed Sepahan to a single point and remain on course for an AFC Champions League spot.
Sepahan, facing club legend Moharram Navidkia as the opposition coach, shared the spoils with Mes Rafsanjan in a 1-1 draw, which meant the Isfahan-based club is now officially out of the title race and the five-time champion’s top-flight drought will extend beyond nine seasons.
Kaveh Rezaei gave Sepahan a ninth-minute lead, only to see his goal canceled out by Jalaleddin Alimohammadi’s header on the hour mark.
Iralco and San’at Naft Abadanb – rock bottom in the table – played to a 1-1 stalemate in Arak.