Sepahan keep lead

AFC - Sepahan might be struggling in the AFC Champions League but maintained their dominance in the Iran Pro League with a 2-1 win over Malavan in the 27th round on Sunday night.

The AFC Champions League 2007 runners-up followed up on their 2-1 win last week over two-time champions Saudi giants Al Ittihad in the continental competition with their third straight domestic win.

Jalal Rafkhaei opened the scoring for Malavan in the 11th minute but Mahmood Karimi restored parity for Jorvan Vieira's side in the 27th minute.

Sepahan were down to 10 men a minute after the restart after playmaker Hossein Kazemi was given his marching orders but were aided by an own goal by Malavan's Reza Niknazar in the 59th minute, helping the Isfahan side go four clear atop the 18-team standings.

With seven more rounds to be played, Sepahan are on 49 points, followed by Saba Battery on 45 points while Tehran giants Persepolis are seven off the pace.

Sepahan, who are languishing at the bottom of the heavyweight Group A in the AFC Champions League, face Saudiʼs Al Ittihad in the return encounter on April 23.