Financial Tribune - Keeping his goal closed for 873 minutes, Esteghlal’s young goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini now holds the all-time consecutive clean sheets record in Iran’s football league.
The 25-year-old, who broke the consecutive clean sheets record of the Persian Gulf Pro League last week for not conceding a goal in 788 minutes, was in Esteghlal’s starting lineup against Saipa on Friday in a match from the week 19th of Pro League, Varzesh3 reported.
All-time record belonged to Bahram Mavaddat, 67, former goalkeeper of Persepolis, who kept the ball away from his goal for 844 minutes. Hosseini was just 56 minutes shy from the record and managed to beat it during the clash with Saipa as the scoreboard at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium showed 1-0 in favor of Esteghlal by minute 56.
And the young goalie continued to better the record until the end of the match when Reza Asadi of Saipa found the back of Hosseini’s net after 873 minutes.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw and the teams shared one point each. Esteghlal and Saipa both have 28 points in the Pro League table but are ranked 5th and 7th due to the goal difference (Peykan is 6th with the same number of points).
Hosseini managed to gain the title under the management of German coach Winfried Schaefer who was assigned head coach of the team last October. Under Schaefer’s watch and since his first game in week 9 in the current season, Esteghlal’s goal was closed for 10 games only to open in the last minutes of the 11th game. The capital’s popular team has received 10 goals in the league so far.
Regarding the all-time consecutive clean sheets record in the entire history of football leagues in Iran after Hosseini and Mavaddat come two great goalkeepers namely Ahmad-Reza Abedzadeh, 51, former Team Melli and Persepolis keeper, who kept his goal closed for 802 consecutive minutes, and the goalkeeper and manger of Esteghlal Nasser Hejazi (1949-2011) who did not receive any goals for 837 minutes.