Persian Gulf Pro League:
Sepahan’s perfect start ends; Tractor edges out Kheybar
Sepahan’s perfect start to the new Persian Gulf Pro League season came to an end in a 1-1 draw at Zob Ahan in the Isfahan derby.
Tractor, meanwhile, bounced back from last week’s shock home defeat against Zob Ahan to beat newly-promoted Kheybar Khorramabad 2-1 on the road.
Young Iranian international full back Aria Yousefi gave Sepahan the lead with a composed finish on the half-hour mark and Jose Morais’s men thought they were on course for a fifth successive league victory until the closing stages, before former Persepolis midfielder Kamal Kamyabinia drew the home side level with seven minutes left on the clock.
Sepahan is top of the table with 13 points, while seven-place Zob Ahan is the only team other than its city rival and Persepolis yet to concede a loss in the new campaign.
Meanwhile, Tractor, fresh from a 3-0 win at Al Wakrah in the AFC Champions League Two opener, continued its impressive run under Croatian head coach Dragan Skocic.
Brazilian midfielder Ricardo Alves put the visitors in front with a sublime left-footed effort from the edge of the box 12 minutes into the game.
Mehrdad Ghanbari sent Tractor keeper Alireza Beiranvand the wrong way from the spot to restore parity eight minutes later, but Danial Esmaeilifar’s 61st-minute strike secured a third league victory for Skocic’s men.
The win sent Tractor second in the top-flight table with 10 points – level with Malavan FC and two points clear of Persepolis, which has a game in hand.