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MNA – Midfielder Mehrzad Ma’danchi celebrated
a shocking hat-trick, giving Persepolis a place in the League Cup
quarterfinals with a 3-2 win over home team Abu Moslem in Thamen ul-A’emmeh
Stadium in the northeastern capital Mashhad Tuesday.
The visitor took the lead after 14 minutes as a transformed Ma’danchi
outpaced three markers before his 20-yard went in.
Abu Moslem keeper Mehdi Sabeti was forced to take the ball out of the net 20
minutes later when Ma’danchi’s 30-yard drive took a vicious deflection off
the far post.
Midfielder Andranik Teymurian almost pulled one back eight minutes before
the break, rattling the crossbar with a curling free-kick.
Striker Yunes Grayeli, however, came off the bench to make it 2-1, heading
home in the 44th minute.
Home fans’ blood ran cold through Ma’danchi, whose powerful 35-yard shot hit
Sabeti’s hand and crossbar two minutes into the second half.
However Persepolis supporters were silenced by supersub Grayely, who
celebrated his double on 59 minutes. The striker evaded the offside trap,
racing to a defense-splitting pass from partner Hossein Badamaki and beating
keeper Mohammad Mohammadi in a one-on-one challenge.
But the Reds got the last laugh following a Sabeti blunder. Ma’danchi, who
was in a dazzling form, unleashed a non-venomous drive that was saved by
Sabeti, but the lackadaisical goalie surprisingly let the ball roll in with
19 minutes to go.
In the quarterfinals games, Persepolis entertains Malavan, the capital’s
Esteqlal travels to Sari to meet Nojan, and the Isfahan-based Sepahan is
host to Tractor Sazi.
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