Iran's football powerhouse, Esteghlal, has routed 10-man Saipa squad 4-0 to advance to the round of 16 in Hazfi Cup.

The match was played on Friday in Azadi soccer stadium in west Tehran.

Esteqlal and Saipa footballers had a handful of good opportunities during the first half of the game to score goals for their clubs. However, they missed their chances.

The referee, Touraj Haqverdi, flashed a red card in the 40th minute, and dismissed Saipa striker Kaveh Rezaei from the turf.

Rezaei had received his first yellow card a few minutes earlier.

The capital’s Blues played with more purpose, going forward just after the break, and it was Arash Borhani who opened the scoring for Esteqlal in the 46th minute of the match.

Seventeen minutes later Farzad Hatami of Esteqlal doubled the lead.

Borhani placed the ball into the opponents' net for a second time in the 64th minute, and scored the third goal for Esteqlal.

Bolivian footballer Vicente Arze Camacho scored Esteqlal’s fourth goal in the injury time.

Sepahan is currently on top of the IPL table with 31 points followed by Esteqlal with the same points. Foulad, Malavan, and Rah Ahan are third to fifth respectively all with 29 points.