SAIPA stuns Sepahan; Esteqlal ekes out win over Abu Moslem

IRNA - Pacesetter SAIPA saw off Sepahan 4-2 and Esteqlal labored to a 1-0 home victory over Abu Moslem in the ninth week of the sixth Iran Pro League here Tuesday.

The two sides struggled to a goalless tie in the first half in Enqelab Stadium of Karaj, 35 km west of Tehran, but the national automaker's side SAIPA took the lead two minutes after the restart through Ebrahim Sadeqi.

Hadi Vaziri leveled the match in the 53rd minute, but the table-topper responded the equalizer with two goals as Kazem Borjlou and Amir Vaziri found the net on 60 and 66 minutes.

Iraqi striker Emad Reza raised Sepahan's hopes eight minutes from normal when he minimized the gap.

The home team's forward Amir Sharifi-Nassab, however, shattered the Isfahan-based Sepahan's hopes, celebrating the fourth three minutes deep into additional time.

Under player-cum-manager Ali Daei, SAIPA has 21 points.

In the last match of the week, the holder Esteqlal, haunted by last Friday's 2-1 loss to old foe Persepolis, played a lackadaisical football before over 10,000 die-hard fans in the Azadi Stadium.

Abu Moslem possessed the ball and field almost throughout the clash on the rainy day, but the black-shirted visiting side did not find the finishing touch.

Esteqlal striker Ali Alizadeh hit the ball against Abu Moslem crossbar after 22 minutes and Maytham Bao celebrated the winner, sending in an Amir-Hossein Sadeqi cross with a drilling header from close range five minutes from the interval.

Abu Moslem players smoothly passed the ball during the whole second half, forcing the Blues to stop them with studs-up tackles and career-threatening fouls.

Esteqlal was reduced to 10 men in the 87th minute when fullback Sadeqi was finally sent off by the referee Khodadad Afsharian for his second bookable offense.

Although the shaky win helped Esteqlal propel back to the second spot on 18 points, the popular holder should do something to regain its last season power and restore its prestige.

In Salimikia Stadium in the southeastern capital Kerman, Persepolis survived the hell promoted Mes made, salvaging a scoreless draw.

Striker Saber Mirqorbani's kick in the sixth minute was palmed by Persepolis keeper Farshid Karimi, finding Adriano Alvez at the far post, but the forward sent the rebound above the woodwork.

Alvez missed the second scoring chance on 38 minutes to leave the home fans ruing.

In a rare dangerous attack in the 50th minute, Farzad Ashoubi should have put Persepolis ahead, kicking the ball far from the woodwork.

With 18 minutes to go, Mirqorbani was slow enough to deny his side the winner, allowing Karimi to dive and send his drive out.

The stalemate left Persepolis in the third place with 16 points.

In other games, Barq fought back to hold Pas to a 2-2 tie, Zob Ahan beat Saba Battery 1-0, Fajr-e Sepassi and Rah Ahan split the points with a 2-2 draw, Paykan ended the Ahvaz-based Esteqlal's winning streak with a 3-2 victory, and Foulad and Malavan struggled to a nil-nil standoff.