Persian Gulf Premier League:
Heavyweight trio off to flying starts
Three of the so-called “Big Four” in the Persian Gulf Premier League delivered statement victories on the opening day of the new Iranian top-flight season.
Esteghlal showed little sign of being affected by a FIFA transfer ban, routing newly promoted Mes Shahr-e Babak 4-0 at home.
Young striker Saied Saharkhizan got the Capital Blues off the mark right before halftime and then doubled his tally nine minutes after the break, before substitute Mohammad-Hossein Eslami and 20-year-old midfielder Esmaeil Qolizadeh added late strikes in the 88th and 92nd minutes, respectively, as Esteghlal celebrated the biggest opening-day victory in the history of the competition.
In Tabriz, Tractor gave head coach Javad Nekounam, who only replaced Mohammad Rabiei last week, a fitting start to life on the bench by defeating 10-man Paykan 2-0.
Having joined from Emirati club Ittihad Kalba in the summer, Iranian international striker Shahriar Moghanlou marked his debut in style, scoring twice in the first half.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men deep into first-half stoppage time after fullback Nima Ahmadi was adjudged to have denied the opposition a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Tractor’s victory, however, was overshadowed by an injury to prolific winger Mahdi Torabi, who was forced off just six minutes into the contest and will be a doubt for the upcoming crucial games against Sepahan and Persepolis.
Sepahan, meanwhile, secured a hard-fought 2-0 away victory at Chadormalou. Ehsan Hajsafi broke the deadlock from the spot with 14 minutes remaining, before Alireza Arta’s own goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time secured all three points for Moharram Navidkia’s side.
Elsewhere, new head coach Mahdi Rahmati celebrated a winning debut with Golgohar Sirjan, which defeated Nassaji Mazandaran 1-0 at home thanks to Milad Kor’s 89th-minute strike.
Pirouz Qorbani also enjoyed a victorious start to his reign on the Iralco bench, as his side claimed a 2-0 win at Esteghlal Khuzestan.
Bahran Goudarzi put the visitors in front in the 11th minute, before Abbas Kahrizi found the net in the fourth minute of stoppage time. In Khorramabad, Hossein Shanai scored an 81st-minute equalizer to cancel out his teammate Masoud Mohebi’s own goal midway through the first half, as Khaybar salvaged a point at home in a 1-1 draw against Fajr Sepasi.