Persian Gulf Pro League:
Persepolis remains in ACL Elite contention; Nassaji relegated
Oston Urunov scored a stoppage-time winner as Persepolis came from behind to beat Khaybar 2-1 in Khorramabad in the Persian Gulf Pro League on Thursday, keeping its hopes alive of booking a place in the AFC Champions League Elite next season.
Nassaji Mazandaran, meanwhile, will have to start next campaign in the second-tier league after a 3-3 stalemate against newly-crowned champion Tractor secured a bottom-two finish for the northern Iranian side.
Two points behind second-place Sepahan before the penultimate round of fixtures, Persepolis was stunned in the 25th minute when a Farid Amiri’s flick-on header went past Algerian goalkeeper Alexis Guendouz, who was replaced by Amirreza Rafiei at halftime due to a muscle injury.
Turkish head coach Ismail Kartal made several changes to the starting XI in the second half and it paid off as Farshad Ahmadzadeh headed home the equalizer in the 65th minute before teeing up fellow-substitute Urunov for the last-gasp winner.
The hard-fought victory saw the Tehran Reds move level on 57 points with Sepahan, which was held to a 1-1 draw at bottom-club Havadar.
Kaveh Rezaei found the net for the visitors with 18 minutes from normal time to cancel out Karim Eslami’s first-half strike.
Sepahan still sits above Persepolis in the table – thanks to a superior head-to-head record – before welcoming Esteghlal on the final day, with the Reds, who will face relegated Havadar at home on Thursday, hoping for a favor from their archrivals to seal a spot in the Asian elite clubs’ competition.
Elsewhere, Amirhossein Samdaliri and Kevin Yamga were on the scoresheet as Nassaji rallied from behind twice to salvage a point in Tabriz, but it proved to be just a consolation for the visiting side.
The result also means Tractor will miss out on the 70-point mark, though Dragan Skocic’s side could still match the record 68-point tally – set by Esteghlal in 2022 and Persepolis last season – with an away win against Esteghlal Khuzestan on the final day.
Mes Rafsanjan, meanwhile, is guaranteed a place in the Iranian top flight next season despite suffering a 2-1 loss at Zob Ahan.
Mahmaoud Qaed-Rahmati and Morteza Tabrizi scored for the home before Mohammad Akbari cut the deficit to one late in the first half.
Mes is third from bottom in the 16-team table with 27 points – five clear of the safety zone before the dead-rubber at home against Khaybar on Thursday.
Mohammadreza Soleimani bagged a brace inside seven minutes after the break to cancel out Shahin Tavakkoli’s ninth-minute own goal and help Foolad beat Esteghlal Khuzestan in the Ahvaz derby.
Esteghlal shared the spoils with Chadormalou in a goalless game at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, while Iralco and Malavan played to a 1-1 draw in Arak.
Fifth-placed Golgohar Sirjan continued its impressive campaign with a 1-0 home victory over Shams Azar, courtesy of Ousmane Ndong’s first-half goal.