Persian Gulf Pro League:
Bifouma off the mark in Reds colors; Tractor back to winning ways
Summer signing Thievy Bifouma scored his first goal for Persepolis as the Tehran Reds edged Iralco 1-0 at home in the Persian Gulf Pro League on Sunday.
The Congolese striker struck three minutes into the game, slotting Milad Mohammadi’s low cross into the top corner to seal Persepolis’ fourth win in five matches since Brazilian head coach Osmar Vieira returned to the Reds’ job in late October.
The hard-fought victory helped Persepolis — chasing an eighth top-flight title in 10 seasons — move back to the top of the table with 25 points from 14 games, ahead of second-placed Sepahan, who has 24 points with two games in hand and was due to visit Foolad Khuzestan on Monday.
Iralco remain 10th with 15 points.
The result also saw Osmar — unbeaten in 19 league games across two spells on the Persepolis bench — become the fastest coach to reach the 50-point mark in Iranian top-flight history, achieving the feat in just 20 games.
Elsewhere, defending champions Tractor ended a two-match run of goalless draws with a 2-1 comeback victory over Paykan.
Shahin Tavakkoli headed the visitors into the lead in the sixth minute, but his effort was canceled out four minutes later by prolific striker Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, who tightened his grip on top spot in the league’s scoring charts with his eighth goal of the campaign.
Dragan Skocic’s side kept knocking on the door for a winner, and the pressure paid off 16 minutes from time when Mahdi Hasemnejad’s close-range effort went past goalkeeper Erfan Esfandiari into the bottom corner.
The victory — only Tractor’s fifth in 13 matches — lifted the champions to third place on 21 points, level with fourth-placed Esteghlal ahead of the Blues’ away match against Khaybar.
Paykan is 11th with 14 points.