Last-gasp winner seals Hazfi Cup glory for Esteghlal
Rouzbeh Cheshmi scored a 120th-minute winner as Esteghlal edged out Malavan FC 1-0 to win the Iranian Hazfi Cup title in Arak on Thursday.
There was little to separate the two sides at the Imam Khomeini Stadium, before Cheshmi’s low drive from inside the box found the bottom corner right at the death to lead Esteghlal to a record eighth domestic cup trophy.
Thursday’s triumph put a lid on a dreadful season for the Tehran Blues, who had matched an all-time low in the Persian Gulf Pro League table earlier in May, finishing ninth with seven wins and 10 defeats in 30 games.
The victory also secured continental action for Esteghlal, as the club will be part of the group stage at the AFC Champions League Two next season.
The cup glory was a fitting finale to interim head coach Mojtaba Jabbari’s six-game spell on the Esteghlal bench, though club chairman Ali Nazari Jouybari stated after the match that the former Blues midfielder “is on the club’s shortlist of candidates for the permanent role.”
Meanwhile, Malavan, which overcame several tough top-flight opponents to reach the final, was left feeling hard done by after a decisive refereeing decision went against the northern Iranian club.
Malavan striker Mohammad Omri, racing toward a one-on-one with Esteghlal keeper Hossein Hosseini, was brought down by Blues defender Armin Sohrabian on the edge of the box in first-half stoppage time. However, referee Mo’oud Bonyadifar and the VAR team did not deem the incident a foul, let alone a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.