Persepolis Climbs to Top of Premier League Table with Victory over Esteghlal

On Friday, April 27, Persepolis football team won against Esteghlal with a score of 4-2 in an exciting and fluctuating match, climbing to the top of the Iranian Premier League table. With this victory, Persepolis has completed its ninth consecutive derby without defeat. Esteghlal last triumphed over its traditional rival in December 2011. The match took place with the stadium packed two hours before kickoff, leaving thousands of fans outside the closed gates. Persepolis quickly scored in the fifth minute through Mehdi Taremi, who capitalized on a rebound from a heavy shot by Noorollahi that goalkeeper Rahmati could not fully clear. In the first half, Taremi scored again with a powerful header from Ahmadzadeh's cross, bringing his tally to 16 goals and placing him at the top of the scorers' chart. Taremi had a chance for a hat-trick in the first half, but Rahmati saved the penalty he insisted on taking after a foul by Omran Zadeh on Bengar. In the second half, as the rain intensified, Ramin Rezaiyan converted a rebound from Rahmati into Persepolis's third goal. A minute later, a shot from Khosrow Heydari resulted in a mistake by goalkeeper Sosha Makani, allowing Jaber Ansari, who had just come on, to make it 3-1. In the 86th minute, a free-kick from Omid Ebrahimi turned into Persepolis's fourth goal after Taremi set up Mohsen Musliman for the finish. Two minutes later, a penalty was awarded to Esteghlal, allowing Ebrahimi to score his team's second goal. Referee Mohsen Torki added five minutes of stoppage time, but the result remained unchanged, with Persepolis winning 4-2. After the match, coach Branko Ivankovic stated in a live television interview that everything was excellent and that his team deserved the victory. He emphasized their focus on maintaining their position at the top and not getting carried away, as they prepare for the next four matches. Despite not being present for a television interview, Esteghlal's coach Parviz Mazlumi told reporters that the first goal disrupted their plans and that they lost the league. He mentioned that they started with a 4-4-2 system but had to change tactics due to an injury to Sheikhi. In this match, Taremi received a yellow card, which means he will miss the next game against Esteghlal Ahvaz. Fars News Agency reported that some Esteghlal fans chanted for the departure of Mazlumi and Bahram Afsharzadeh. The lineup for Persepolis included Sosha Makani, Ramin Rezaiyan, Mohsen Bengar, Luka Maric, Mohammad Ansari, Ahmad Noorollahi, Mohsen Musliman, Omid Alishah (Mehrdad Kafshgari), Farshad Ahmadzadeh (Babak Hatami), Ali Alipour (Jerry Bengston), and Mehdi Taremi. For Esteghlal, the players included Mehdi Rahmati, Milad Fakhraldini, Hanif Omran Zadeh, Hrayr Mkhoyan, Meysam Majidi, Omid Ebrahimi, Mohammad Reza Kharsandnia, Adel Sheikhi (Jaber Ansari), Khosrow Heydari (Yaqoub Karimi), Arash Borhani, and Sajad Shahbazzadeh. Persepolis now sits at the top of the table with 48 points, followed by Esteghlal Khuzestan with 47 points, Esteghlal Tehran with 45 points, and Tractor Sazi and Naft with 42 points each.