Persian Gulf Pro League:
El Haddadi screamer sends Esteghlal top
Moroccan midfielder Munir El Haddadi struck a stunning long-range effort to give Esteghlal a 1-0 victory over bottom-placed Mes Rafsanjan on Sunday, sending the Blues to the top of the Persian Gulf Pro League table.
The former Barcelona forward surged into the opposition half before unleashing a left-footed drive from 30 yards that beat Mes goalkeeper Payam Parsa in the 15th minute. It marked his fourth goal in 27 appearances across all competitions since joining the club last summer.
Saeid Saharkhizan believed he had doubled the visitors’ advantage two minutes before halftime, but his effort was ruled out following a VAR review for offside in the buildup.
The narrow win was enough to lift Esteghlal — with Voria Ghafouri serving as interim head coach following Ricardo Sá Pinto’s dismissal on Saturday — to the summit of the 16-team standings on 38 points from 21 matches, two clear of Tractor.
Earlier in the day, Tractor were held to a 1-1 draw by Malavan at the Sirous Qayeqran Stadium.
Mohammad-Javad Mohammadi headed home Qaem Eslamikhah’s set piece just before the hour mark to put Malavan ahead. However, fullback Danial Esmaeilfard restored parity with a composed left-footed finish in the 87th minute, ensuring Mohammad Rabiei avoided defeat in his first game in charge after replacing Dragan Skočić last week.
Elsewhere in the round, Foolad Khuzestan defeated Zob Ahan 2-1 at home on Saturday, courtesy of substitute Arash Akbarzadeh’s dramatic 97th-minute winner. The result extended Foolad’s strong run to three wins and two draws in five matches since Hamid Motahari took over in mid-January.
Foolad climbed to ninth with 28 points, while Zob Ahan remained second from bottom on 19.
On Friday, Persepolis suffered a third consecutive league defeat, falling 2-1 at home to Khaybar to remain fifth on 35 points, as the visitors moved up to eighth with 29.
Chadormalou produced the shock of the round, coming from behind to thrash Golgohar, which led the table before Sunday’s games, 5-1 at home. Fajr Sepasi edged Shams Azar 1-0 in Shiraz, while Iralco and Paykan shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw in Arak.