Iranian Hazfi Cup:
Sepahan lands Golgohar in last four; Tractor stunned by Mes
Farshad Ahmadzadeh headed home late in the first half as Sepahan edged out Malavan 1-0 in the Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium in the Iranian Hazfi Cup quarterfinals.
With the Isfahan-based club lagging behind Tehran archrivals Esteghlal and Persepolis in the Persian Gulf Pro League table with three games to spare, the domestic cup will give Sepahan the last opportunity to end the nine-year trophy drought.
Awaiting Sepahan and Portuguese head coach Jose Morais in the last four will be Golgohar Sirjan, which thrashed Masoud Shojaei’s Havadar by five unanswered goals in Sirjan on Thursday to progress.
Ahmadreza Zenderouh’s sublime header gave Golgohar an eighth-minute lead but the home supporters had to wait until the closing stages of the contest for their team to finish off the game.
Young striker Saeid Saharkhizan found the net in the 71st minute before substitute Masoud Zaer Kazemeini put the game to bed with a bouncing header three minutes later.
Kazemeini bagged his second of the afternoon in the fifth minute of added time and then set up Mahdi Mamizadeh, who rounded off his side’s emphatic display with a curling effort from the edge of the box.
Elsewhere, Tractor’s quest for a second cup title in four years came to an end after a 1-0 loss to Mes Rafsanjan in Tabriz.
It could have been a different outcome for the host in the Yadegar-e Imam Stadium, had Rahman Ja’fari not sent his effort from the spot wide with 13 minutes left on the clock.
Mohammad-Mahdi Mohebbi’s low drive in the 91st minute sealed the victory for the visiting side as Mes continued its impressive run under Moharram Navidkia, who took over from Saket Elhami during the winter break.
Standing between Mes and a place in the final showpiece is Iralco.
Iralco, which stepped into the last-eight round on the back of a memorable shootout win against Persepolis, made hard work of facing Chadormalu – the only non-top flight side in the semifinals – on Thursday as Majid Hosseini’s side had Reza Jabireh to thank for scoring a 119th-minute winner in a 1-0 victory in Ardakan.
As if the four semifinalists need more reason to go all out for the cup glory, a place in the playoff round of next season’s inaugural AFC Champions League Elite will be the on the line in the final, with the winner joining Esteghlal and Persepolis in the continent’s revamped club competition.