Persian Gulf Pro League:
Persepolis, Foolad share the spoils
Persepolis and Foolad Khuzestan played to 1-1 stalemate in the third round of matches at the Persian Gulf Pro League at Tehran’s Shahr-e Qods Stadium on Saturday.
Ali Alipour gave Persepolis the lead in the 43rd minute, playing a one-two with Thievy Bifouma before his low effort from the edge of the box found the bottom corner – a third league goal in as many games in the new season for the Capital Reds’ striker.
The Reds’ advantage, however, was short-lived as Foolad winger Mohammadreza Soleimani bagged the equalizer with a point-blank header from an Abolfazl Razzaqpour set-piece three minutes after the break.
The result took Persepolis to third in the Iranian top-flight table with five points, while it secured the first point of the campaign for Yahya Golmohammadi’s Foolad.
Persepolis will play away to Chadormalou, which leads the Reds in the table on goal difference, on Friday, while Foolad will host Khaybar – the surprise leader in the table – in Ahvaz.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Chadormalou played to a goalless home draw against Malavan.
Shams Azar came from behind to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw against Paykan at home.
Afshin Sadeqi put the visitors in front midway through the first half, only to see Houman Rabizadeh draw the home side level with 20 minutes left on the clock.
In Isfahan, Omid Latifi found the net in the 35th minute before Hassan Shoshtari doubled the lead from the spot in the 67th minute as Zob Ahan defeated Mes Rafsanjan 2-0 at the Fooladshahr Stadium.
Sunday’s results came after defending champion Tractor had routed Iralco 4-1 – thanks to Domagoj Drozdek’s first-half hat-trick – on the preceding night to get off the mark in the new season, following a first-day 1-0 loss to Esteghlal and a goalless draw at Mes Rafsanjan.
In Ahvaz, Mohammad Sharifi scored the only goal of the game as Esteghlal was stunned at Esteghlal Khuzestan by a 1-0 scoreline – the Tehran Blues’ first defeat of the league campaign.
Khaybar and newly-promoted Fajr Sepasi remained unbeaten in their impressive start to the season, sharing the points in a 1-1 draw at Khorramabad’s Takhti Stadium – the same result played out between Golgohar and Sepahan in Sirjan.
French signing Enzo Crivelli opened his account for Sepahan by converting a VAR-awarded penalty in the 60th minute to cancel out Omid Hamedifar’s 12th-minute strike for the home side.