PTV - Esteqlal is crowned the Iranian Premier League champions for the second time in the history of the competition after a 1-0 victory against Payam.

The Blues mostly dominated the game but had to wait 41 minutes before Brazilian midfielder Fabio Janvario could score the winner on Sunday in Mashhad.

Esteqlal also missed a chance to double the lead when the IPL's top scorer, Arash Borhani, failed to convert a penalty in the 85th minute.

The Blue partly owe their second championship to Zob Ahan who conceded a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Foulad Khuzestan in Ahwaz only to see its first chance to win the championship gone with the wind.

The last time that the Blues had lifted a trophy dates back to the 2005-06 season when Esteqlal was named IPL champion again under Amir Qalenoi.

Earlier in the day the Blue's arch rival, Persepolis, managed to defeat Rah Ahan 2-0 in a vague attempt to make up for an embarrassing 5-1 defeat against Qatar's Al Gharafa in the AFC champions League.




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