Match Week 22 of the Iranian Premier Football League - 2004-03-09

Match Week 22 of the Iranian Premier Football League concluded today with five matches. According to ISNA news agency, in the most critical of these matches, Persepolis was held to a draw in a weak performance in Shiraz. In this match, the players of Bargh Shiraz created several goal-scoring opportunities with a superior game, but thanks to the luck of Persepolis and the relatively good form of Sasha Ilic, no ball entered the net of the red-clad team. With this draw and a significant points gap from the leading teams, Persepolis has lost hope for the championship. In other matches, Sepahan Isfahan triumphed over Pegah Gilan with a score of 3-0, with goals from Taleb Nasab, Seyed Salehi, and Leon Stepanyan. Zob Ahan Isfahan also defeated Saipa Tehran 3-1 with goals from Rezaei, Vaziri, and Ardalan Sarti. Foolad Khuzestan, visiting Shamoushak Noshahr, won 2-1 against them. The match between Esteghlal Ahvaz and Paykan Tehran ended in a goalless draw at Takhti Stadium in Ahvaz, while Paykan continued the match with ten players after the expulsion of Amir Hossein Sharifi in the 67th minute. Esteghlal Ahvaz was awarded a penalty due to a foul by Amir Hossein Sharifi, which was missed by Khalifeh Asl. With the results of Week 22, Esteghlal Tehran leads the table with 44 points, followed by Pas and Zob Ahan with 43 and 39 points, respectively.