Persian Gulf Pro League roundup:
Late VAR drama seals opening-day win for Esteghlal
Esteghlal got off to a winning start in the new Persian Gulf Pro League season, thanks to Mohammad-Hossein Eslami’s last-gasp strike at Shams Azar, while Persepolis began its title defense with a 1-1 draw against Zob Ahan.
New Tractor head coach Dragan Skocic announced his return to Iranian top flight in style as his Tractor side defeated Mes Rafsanjan 2-0, with Sepahan bouncing back from an ACL Elite playoff humiliation against Shabab Al Ahli with a 3-1 home victory over newly-promoted Chadormalou SC.
In Qazvin, Arman Ramezani gave Javad Nekounam’s Esteghlal the lead 10 minutes after the break before Amir-Mohammad Nessaei drew the home side level courtesy of a VAR-given spot-kick in the 89th minute.
Summer-signings Ramin Rezaeian and Eslami combined as the latter found the net in third minute of stoppage time but the celebrations were cut short after the flag was raised, deeming the former to be in an offside position.
The linesman’s decision, however, was overturned by the video assistant ref and the Tehran Blues walked away with the maximum points.
The result came a night after Esteghlal’s city rival Persepolis was held by Zob Ahan in Arak’s Imam Khomeini Stadium – serving as the Reds’ home venue.
Having a new head coach in Juan Carlos Garrido, the champion was stunned when Majid Aliyari headed home Mohammad Qoreishi’s long throw less than a minute into the game.
Saeid Sadeqi celebrated his return from injury with a brilliant strike right before the interval, though Garrido will still have to address his wasteful frontline ahead of Thursday’s much-anticipated visit to Tractor.
Tractor’s summer of spending spree quickly paid off, with former Persepolis players Mahdi Torabi and Danial Esmaeilifar playing their part in giving the club a first opening-day win in a decade.
Torabi teed up Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, who tapped in from close range in the 10th minute, before Esmaeilifar’s low cross let Croatian Tomislav Strkalj found the net on his Tractor debut to double the visitors’ lead in the first half.
In Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium, Sepahan was desperate to open its campaign with a win after its hopes of a place in the revamped Asian elite clubs’ competition had been wrecked two weeks ago.
Jose Morais’s side had to wait till the 55th minute to get off the mark against the newcomers, when Kaveh Rezaei scored from the spot, only to see his goal canceled out by Chadormalou’s Mohammad Papi seven minutes later.
Skipper Mohammad Karimi’s effort from inside the box went into the bottom corner off the defender to restore the one-goal cushion for Sepahan and substitute Reza Shekari secured all points in added time.
Elsewhere, Omid Nour-Afkan’s second-half penalty saw Malavan come out on top against Golgohar Sirjan at home, while Esteghlal Khuzestan and Iralco shared the spoils in a goalless contest in Ahvaz.
Kheybar Khorramabad celebrated its top-flight debut with a 1-0 win away to Havadar, with Mehrdad Qanbari finding the net in the second half.
In Qa’emshahr’s Shahid Vatani Stadium, a repeat of last season’s final day drama saw Foolad Khuzestan defeat host Nassaji Mazandaran 1-0 in Yahya Golmohammadi’s first game in charge of the visiting side.