Persian Gulf Pro League:
Alipour off the mark on Reds return; Esteghlal held at Nassaji
Ali Alipour bagged his first goal on his return to Persepolis as the Tehran Reds defeated Iralco 2-0 in the Persian Gulf Pro League on Friday.
Persepolis archrival Esteghlal, meanwhile, had to come from behind twice to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw at Nassaji Mazandaran.
Looking for a perfect response after a 1-0 loss to Al Ahli Saudi in their AFC Champions League Elite opener on Monday, Persepolis got off to flying start at home, finding the net five minutes into game, thanks to a coolly-taken penalty after Alipour was brought down in the box by Iralco defender Milad Badragheh.
The reigning champion had to wait until the 70th minute to double its lead, when Alipour intercepted a back pass by Iralco’s Bahram Goudarzi and then dribbled past young keeper Mohammad Khalifeh before putting it away – a 57th league goal in the Reds shirt for the cub’s leading marksman in the top-flight history.
The bad news for Persepolis and Spanish head coach Juan Carlos Garrido is that Uzbek winger Oston Urunov will be a doubt for Wednesday’s Tehran derby against Esteghlal after being forced out injured right before the break.
In Qaemshahr’s Vatani Stadium, Javad Nekounam’s Blues, flying high after a 3-0 beating of Al Gharafa in the ACL Elite, enjoyed more of the ball possession in the first half but trialed by one goal at the break, after French fullback Kevin Yamga sent former teammate Hossein Hosseini the wrong way from the spot.
Ramin Rezaeian continued the impressive start to his Esteghlal career, drawing the visitors level with a second VAR-awarded penalty of the match in the 63rd minute.
Ex-Persepolis striker Hamed Pakdel restored the lead for Nassaji with a flick-on effort 17 minutes from normal time, but the home side’s jubilation was short-lived as substitute Abolfazl Jalali headed home the equalizer for Nekounam’s side two minutes later.
A VAR review convinced referee Ali Safaei to show Esteghlal defender Rouzbeh Cheshmi a straight red for denying Nassaji a clear goal opportunity in the stoppage time, a massive blow for the Blues ahead of Wednesday’s derby.