Persian Gulf Pro League:
Persepolis, Esteghlal share points in drab derby; Sepahan goes top
Capital archrivals Persepolis and Esteghlal played out a goalless stalemate in the 106th Tehran Derby on Friday, while Sepahan defeated Fajr Sepasi 2–0 at home to move to the top of the Persian Gulf Pro League table.
There was little to separate the two city rivals over the 90 minutes at Arak’s Imam Khomeini Stadium, with both goalkeepers turning in solid performances.
Persepolis came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half through Oston Urunov, only for Spanish goalkeeper Antonio Adán to stay alert and deal with the danger.
Making his derby debut, Esteghlal’s Saeid Saharkhizan missed the game’s best chance five minutes after the break, with Persepolis keeper Payam Niazmand rushing off his line to thwart the Blues’ striker from close range as the match ended goalless for the 24th time – the most frequent scoreline in the history of Iranian club football’s most anticipated fixture.
The result left Esteghlal, whose four-game winning streak in the league came to an end, sitting second in the table with 20 points from 11 games – one point ahead of the Tehran Reds, who have played 12.
The stalemate also meant Esteghlal remains without a league derby victory since March 2018.
Later in the day, French striker Enzo Crivelli and Mohammad Asgari struck in the second half to help Sepahan overcome the newly promoted visitors at Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium and climb to the summit with 21 points.
Mohammad Alinejad and Alireza Ramezani scored either side of Brazilian Matheus Costa’s equalizer as Malavan defeated bottom-placed Mes Rafsanjan 2-1 at home to surge into sixth place.
It also finished goalless between Foolad Khuzestan and Iralco in Ahvaz.