Persepolis, Abu Moslem tie, Daei gives Saba semis berth

MNA - Persepolis and the visiting Abu Moslem struggled to a 2-2 draw in the 27th week of the fifth Iran Pro League here Tuesday while national skipper Ali Daei struck two to hand Saba Battery a place in the League Cup semifinals.

Against the run of play, Abu Moslem took the lead in the 33rd minute through Mohammadreza Khalatbari, who spectacularly cleared four, including the keeper Farshid Karimi before finding the net from close range.

The red-clad home side was stunned seven minutes later when striker Mehdi Kheiri, who received a superb pass from captain Hossein Badamaki, slid the ball under the diving Karimi.

Persepolis, however, pulled one back just before halftime. Referee Fereydun Esfahanian awarded a penalty for Majid Nurmohammadi handball and a cool-headed Ali Ansarian converted the spot-kick.

Some 10,000 fans in Azadi Stadium gave Javad Kazemian a standing ovation as the forward duped his marker Aziz Farisat in the area to rifle home 10 minutes into second half.

Persepolis almost grabbed the winner on 83 minutes through midfielder Pejman Nuri, whose 25-yard drive rattled the crossbar.

Abu Moslem and Persepolis move up two places, standing seventh and eighth on 37 and 36 points respectively.

In another IPL game, the relegation-zone side Shamushak and Malavan split the points as they failed to score.

In a League Cup quarterfinal, Daei celebrated his double in the first and 108th minutes to inspire Saba Battery into a 2-1 victory over the home team Sepahan Novin in Polyacryl Stadium in the central capital Isfahan.

Yasser Mir-Fendereski leveled the match eight minutes from normal time.