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IRNA - The 20th-week matches of the 16-strong
fifth Iran Pro League on Jan 26 and 27:
PACESETTER SAIPA HUMBLES HOLDER FOULAD
Leader Saipa defeated holder Foulad 1-0 in Takhti Stadium of the southern
city of Abadan Friday.
Striker Amir Vaziri scored the sole goal of the match, converting a penalty
kick after 12 minutes.
The visitor took a defensive position after the opener, denying the
attack-minded Foulad the equalizer.
Referee Fereydoun Esfahanian and linesmen Esmaeil Safiri and Hassan Kamrani
judged the game.
More than 5,000 spectators watched the match.
Surprise package Saipa is the table-topper on 39 points and Foulad lies in
the seventh place with 29 points.
ENAYATI HELPS BLUES PAST SOUTH ESTEQLAL
Gholam-Reza Enayati wrapped up a 1-0 home victory for the blue-clad Esteqlal
over the visiting Esteqlal of southern capital Ahvaz in Tehran Friday.
Playing before some 20,000 die-hard fans in Azadi Stadium, the home side
gave the first warning in the 17th minute when striker Siavash Akbarpour
rattled the post in a man-to-man challenge with in-form keeper Nader
Ghobeyshavi.
Enayati, whose goal-bound curling drive was palmed away by the visitor's
goalie, opened the scoring on 34 minutes. The forward receiving a superb
pass from midfielder Mojtaba Jabbari dribbled past Ghobeyshavi, steering the
ball into an empty net.
The home side came close to the second twice after the restart.
Enayati, who was well fed by skipper Alireza Nikbakht-Vahedi in the 48th
minute, failed to clear the keeper on the edge of the penalty box.
Akbarpour having an under-par performance unbelievably hit the ball against
Ghobeyshavi's chest from close range seven minutes later.
Southerners also squandered two chances by Brazilian signing Adriano in the
70th minute and three minutes from time.
The win helped Esteqlal stay at the second place of the table with 36 points
and one match in hand while the Ahvazi team is in the 12th spot on 22
points.
Esteqlal is rescheduled to play the postponed match against Malavan in Azadi
Stadium next Tuesday.
PAS, SABA WIN; ZOB HOLDS FAJR
Pas and Saba Battery snatched a 1-0 victory each and Zob Ahan scored a late
equalizer against Fajr-e Sepassi Friday.
National defender Mohammad Nosrati found the net in the 20th minute to
inspire Pas into a 1-0 win over visitor Shamoushak in Shahid Dastgerdi
Stadium in western Tehran.
Pas retains the third place with 35 points and Shamoushak sticks to rock
bottom, 16th place, on meager 15 points.
In Shahid Derakhshan Stadium in Robat Karim, Saba saw off promoted Rah Ahan
as the advancing defender Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh grabbed the winner eight
minutes from normal time.
Saba leaps three steps to fifth spot with 30 points and Rah Ahan moves down
two places to 14th spot on 21 points.
In Fouladshahr Stadium in central capital Isfahan, Zob Ahan ended Fajr's
winning streak.
The visiting side Fajr took the lead in the 56th minute as Vahid Rezaei
opened the scoring after 56 minutes. But Brazilian striker Da Silva canceled
out his opener on 85 minutes.
The standings of Zob and Fajr remain intact as the two teams stay at the
sixth and seventh places respectively with a 29-point asset each.
RAZMI WINNER SAVES BARQ MANAGER
Barq Croat trainer Zlatko Ivankovic owes his survival to Qassem Razmi, who
grabbed the winner against Sepahan in Hafezieh Stadium in the southern
capital Shiraz Friday.
Ivankovic, who would be axed if his side did not win, had Razmi to thank for
finding the net in the 32nd minute.
Some 5,000 flag-waving fans took to the streets after the game to celebrate
the victory.
Assisted by linesmen Morteza Karimi and Ramin Erfanian, Yadollah Janbazi
refereed the game.
Barq jumps one step to 13th place with 21 points and Sepahan remains in the
fourth spot on 30 points.
MALAVAN WINS HOME MATCH AGAINST ABU MOSLEM
Malavan beat the visitor Abu Moslem 1-0 in Takhti Stadium in the northern
port Bandar Anzali Friday.
The navy's side Malavan celebrated the victory over Mashhad's team in an
action-filled clash in front of some 5,000 fans as Mohammad Gholamin's
free-kick in the 13th minute kissed the net.
Abu Moslem squandered the scoring chance after the break when Younes
Gerayeli missed a penalty kick on 55 minutes.
Malavan is in the 11th place with 23 points and one match in hand and Abu
Moslem occupies the 10th slot on 24 points out of 20 matches.
PERSEPOLIS OVERCOMES UNEVEN PITCH, QANDI
Persepolis found the finishing touch after interval to beat the home team
Shahid Qandi 2-0 on the uneven field of the packed Shahid Nassiri Stadium in
central capital Yazd Thursday.
The visitor possessed the ball and field during the first half and came
close to the opener in the 30th minute when a header from Ali Alizadeh
rattled the crossbar.
Persepolis fans, however, unfolded their flags one minute after the restart
as forward Sohrab Entezari poked home from close range.
Striker Javad Kazemian doubled the cushion on 79 minutes. Skipper Hamed
Kavianpour cleared a couple of markers before spotting Alizadeh with a neat
pass and the striker fed the unmarked Kazemian, who beat the helpless keeper
Hadi Tabatabaei with a left drive.
The victory helped Persepolis leapfrog Saba Battery provisionally and jump
one step to the eighth place with 28 points.
Promoted Qandi sticks to the 15th spot on 16 points.
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