Persian Gulf Pro League:
Tractor back on top after hard-fought win against Golgohar
Tractor came from behind to beat Golgohar Sirjan 2-1 in the Persian Gulf Pro League at home on Sunday.
Third in the Iranian top-flight table with two games in hand prior to the contest, Tractor will now finish the Persian calendar year on top of the standings with 48 points – one point clear of defending champion Persepolis and two above Sepahan.
Maximum points in the rescheduled fixture at four-placed Foolad Khuzestan will leave Tractor in pole position to lift a maiden domestic league trophy come the end of season.
Alireza Kazemi gave the visitors a second-minute lead at the Yadegar-e Imam Stadium, capitalizing on an error by Tractor skipper Shoja Khalilzadeh to dink the ball past charging goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
Beaten by Saudi side Al Taawoun in the shootout in the AFC Champions League Two quarterfinals last Tuesday, Tractor managed to restore parity in the 25th minute, when Brazilian Ricardo Alvez’s low effort hit the post and deflected into the net off Golgohar defender Abolfazl Razzaqpour’s leg on the rebound.
Tractor started the second half on the front foot and took the lead through Mahdi Hashemnejad, who finished off an exquisite team move down the middle with a left-footed strike from inside the box seven minutes after the break.
Tractor missed several clear-cut chances to secure all points before the final whistle and had to hold off a desperate late surge by the visiting side for the massive victory.
A sixth defeat of the campaign left Golgohar fifth in the table with 35 points.
Elsewhere, Zob Ahan and Esteghlal shared the points in a 1-1 draw at the Fooladshahr Stadium in Isfahan.
Mohsen Azarbad’s looping header found the bottom corner to put Zob Ahan in front in the 47th minute, before Ramin Rezaeian headed home from close range with five minutes left on the clock to avoid further misery for the visiting Tehran Blues, who will finish the year in a below-par ninth place in the 16-team table with 27 points – one point adrift of Zob Ahan, which played to a 10th stalemate in 23 games.
Iranian fans will be treated to a tight race at both ends of the table with seven rounds of games remaining, when the top-flight clubs resume action after the international break.
Tractor will visit seventh-placed Iralco on March 29, a day before Persepolis plays at relegation-threatened Shams Azar in Qazvin, and Sepahan and Foolad – on 41 points with a game in hand – square off in Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium.