Qorbani last-gasp header leaves reds blue

MNA – Piruz Qorbani came out of the blue to wrap up a spirit-raising 3-2 win for Esteqlal over the red-clad old foe Persepolis in the last second of their 58th encounter here Friday.
Over 80,000 partisan fans in Azadi Stadium and millions gluing eyes to TV sets shared honors but a live-wire defender Qorbani drilled home a Farzad Majidi delightful cross with a glancing header in the last moment of the two-minute stoppage time.


The shocked reds trudged off the pitch as Russian referee Valentin Ivanov blew his last whistle immediately after Esteqlal’s winner.

The 21st-week derby of the fourth Iran Pro League lived up to weeks of hype with tempers simmering throughout the action-filled duel.

But in reality the quality of the football after the interval, for once, came close to matching the ferocity of the uneventful first half.

Persepolis blamed its hoodoo when sensational defender Ali Ansarian surrendered to a niggling knee injury he picked minutes before the break, hobbling to the dugout to give his place to Shayth Rezaii on 54 minutes.

Three minutes later, Persepolis striker Reza Jabbari cleared his marker in the box but failed to beat Esteqlal keeper in a man-to-man challenge.

Half of the spectators went wild with applause in the 68th minute when the league’s best scorer, Esteqlal lanky striker Gholam-Reza Enayati, unguarded behind the six-yard area ended the goal drought, heading home a windfall ball.

But Enayati’s opener was a wakeup call for the reds, who rattled the bar once and netted twice in just two minutes.

National right winger Javad Kazemian’s world-class free-kick hit the crossbar after warming Taleblu’s fingertips on 73 minutes. It was a prelude to two goals in the 74th and 76th minutes.

The resulting corner sent by Jabbari, which took a deflection off Enayati’s chest, was headed home by supersub Rezaii, who outjumped Taleblu and a blue in the goalmouth.

German manager Rainer Zobel was transported with joy as the nimble forward Sohrab Entezari, who came off the bench in the 60th minute, put Persepolis ahead on 76 minutes, finding the net with a superb header in an offside position.

Persepolis was pegged backed, too. Esteqlal skipper Mahmud Fekri rifled home a blocked cross from midfielder Farzad Majidi through the legs of the hapless goalie Mohammad Mohammadi six minutes from time.

But it was not the whole story.

Esteqlal’s advancing defender silenced the reds in the dying moments when his glancing header kissed the left corner of the net.

The dramatic win put Esteqlal in the fourth place on 36 points, one point shy of third-placed Persepolis.

Fulad of Khuzestan extended its leadership with a 1-0 victory over bottom-placed Paykan Thursday, remaining top on 43 points.