Resurgent SAIPA tames Esteqlal

MNA – Pacesetter SAIPA came from one-goal deficit to hammer second-placed Esteqlal in an action-filled derby here Sunday.

Playing the eagerly awaited game in the 14th week of the sixth Iran Pro League before over 40,000 partisan fans in the Azadi Stadium, the two sides fought for the midseason title.

Esteqlal live-wire striker Siavash Akbarpur made his presence felt three minutes after the kickoff, dangerously sending a loose ball in a melee past far post.

The automakers responded in the 19th minute when a player-cum-manager Ali Daei through ball was kicked by Ebrahim Sadeqi and parried out by Esteqlal keeper Vahid Taleblu.

Ali Alizadeh found the SAIPA net with a header seven minutes later, but the blues stopped celebrating as the striker flagged offside.

Midfielder Hossein Kazemi sent the crowd wild with applause after his 40-yard nonpoisonous drive shaved error-prone goalie Rahman Ahmadi’s hands, putting Esteqlal ahead on 30 minutes.

SAIPA squandered the best chance before the interval as Dariush Yazdani’s 35th minute spot-kick was palmed away by Taleblu, who brought down Omid Sharifi-Nassab.

League leader upped the tempo in second half, seeing a goal-bound header on hour mark be blocked by midfielder Mehdi Amirabadi on goalline.

Defending champion Esteqlal, which was trying to secure the shaky lead, was forced to play with 10 men in the last 28 minutes. Akbarpur was sent off by referee Mohsen Qahremani for using foul language, Daei told reporters after the match.

SAIPA scored the equalizer with a spectacular diving header from Seyyed Jalal Hosseini in the 67th minute.

Mohsen Khalili, who had hit the ball against Taleblu’s chest on 79 minutes, stunned the stopper with a left sizzling shot from behind the box one minute later.

The third came in a swift stoppage-time counterattack led by Sharifi-Nassab, whose superb pass left Khalili alone with Taleblu to beat and see his goal-bound drive find the unguarded net by substitute Hamidreza Rajabi.

SAIPA was also reduced to 10 men in the dying seconds when Mohsen Arzani received his marching orders for hitting Taleblu in the chest.

The morale-boosting win helped SAIPA celebrate the midseason championship with 33 points and one match in hand and Esteqlal remains second on 27.

In other matches, home sides Paykan and Sepahan beat promoted Mes and bottom-placed Fulad 4-2 and 2-1 respectively.