Iranian Hazfi Cup:
Esteghlal beats San’at to set final date with Malavan
Bijan Koushki and Masoud Juma scored in each half as Esteghlal defeated San’at Naft Abadan 2-0 at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Saturday to progress to the Iranian Hafzi Cup final.
Desperate to end a dreadful campaign with a piece the silverware, the Capital Blues started right on the front foot against their second-tier opponent but had to wait until the 44th minute to break the deadlock, when Koushki’s bouncing header found the far corner of the net.
Kenyan Juma headed home Ramin Rezaeian’s corner-kick at the near post just before the hour mark to put clear daylight between the Blues and the visitors, who missed out on a top-flight place last week after finishing fourth in the Iranian second division table.
Interim coach Mojtaba Jabbari, the sixth coach in charge of the Esteghlal bench this season, was thrilled to see his players “enjoy their football again, while the fans were pleased by their team’s performance.”
“We have skilled and talented players in the final third, which is why we are good with creating chances. The players remained patient throughout the first half, as they knew that if they scored the first goal, more opportunities would come their way,” added the former Blues midfielder.
Standing between Esteghlal and a record eighth domestic cup crown in Thursday’s final is three-time champion Malavan FC.
Malavan booked a place in the showdown on the preceding night, thanks to a 1-0 victory at Golgohar Sirjan – courtesy of a Reza Ja’fari’s strike 15 minutes from normal time.
As if Malavan and Esteghlal – seventh and ninth in the newly-finished Persian Gulf Pro League season, respectively – needed more reason to go all out for glory on Thursday, the winner of the game will secure a spot at next season’s AFC Champions League Two.
Last time the two sides met in the final showpiece, Malavan came out victorious in the shootout to lift the trophy in March 1991.