Iranian giants Persepolis’ top five magic moments in history

ESPN – TEHRAN, They’re nine-time champions of Iran and one of the biggest clubs in Asia. Persepolis not only have millions of supporters in their homeland, but they’re also followed by the majority of Iranians living abroad.

Here are Persepolis’ five greatest moments, according to ESPN FC:

1. That goal in 2008

The cliché goes that if you wrote this as a movie script it would be dismissed as too far-fetched. But no, anyone with any sense of drama and excitement would start casting immediately.

Which actor would play Afshin Ghotbi, the prodigal son returning home after 30 years to take over the country’s biggest club? Loved by the fans yet distrusted by many in the football establishment, Emperor Afshin was a walking story generator in his first season. An amazing start and adulation was followed by stuttering form, FIFA point deductions, attacks in the media, suspicions of sabotage at the club and a title race that went to the final minute of the final day of the entire season.

Persepolis started that sunny day in second but as the visitors were leaders Sepahan, a win guaranteed them the league title. The Azadi Stadium was packed full — more than full — with a crowd of 110,000. They were celebrating after 17 minutes thanks to Mohsen Khalili’s opener but Sepahan levelled soon after. The second half was one-way traffic but the goal didn’t come until the last kick of the season. In the 96th minute, Sepehr Heidari headed home from close range. It was an ugly goal but a beautiful moment and one of the most dramatic in Asian football history.

2. Winning Asian Cup Winners’ Cup

For a club of the size and stature of Persepolis, the record in Asia is one largely of underachievement. The Asian Champions League started in 2003 but it has not been a happy hunting ground for the Reds with five appearances that had not gone further than the second round, although no team in Iran has yet to win the trophy with only Sepahan and Zob Ahan getting to the final.

The ACL’s forerunner, the Asian Club Championship, was not much better — in fact, it was worse as Esteghlal were twice triumphant. The sole Persepolis success came in 1991 in the Asian Cup Winners Cup. It was the inaugural competition and largely a low-key affair, though the semi-final victory over Al Hilal was memorable. Going on to defeat Al Muharraq in the final gave Persepolis their only continental prize to date.

3. A Red gives Iran their only World Cup win

One of the greatest sources of Persepolis pride is the fact that many of the club’s sons go on to the big leagues of Europe.

The two Alis, Daei and Karimi, both went on to Bayern Munich, Karim Bagheri also headed to the Bundesliga, and England, and then there was also Mehdi Mahdavikia. He was one of the most under-rated players in modern Asian football history who spent over a decade on German soil.

Kia scored perhaps the most important goal in Iranian football history — one that made waves across the world. And when he did so, he was a Persepolis man. In 12 World Cup games, Iran have won only one but it did come against the United States. Mahdavikia scored the all-important second as it ended 2-1 at Korea-Japan 2002.

4. Stinging the Blues

There’s nothing sweeter in than thrashing your bitterest rivals. And there has been no bigger beating in the Tehran Derby than the one Persepolis handed out to Esteghlal on September 7 1973. It ended 6-0. Humayoun Behzadi earned his place in the club’s Hall Of Fame by becoming the first man to score a hat-trick in this fixture. Even today, fans in Red can be heard to taunt their blue counterparts about the scoreline from that game 42 years ago.

5. The great comeback of 2012

This magical memory is otherwise known as the Eamon Zayed game. The Irish-born forward made his debut early in 2012 against Esteghlal. Perhaps ignorance is bliss in terms of pressure as he took Tehran by storm.

His new team were 2-0 down and heading for defeat with 10 minutes remaining. And then something quite special happened. The first was a nice sidefooted finish past the keeper — not just any keeper but Mehdi Rahmati — and a raised hand in acknowledgement. After all, Persepolis were still behind and heading for derby defeat. Soon after, he was heading home an equaliser and this time the celebrations were wild. But nothing compared to what happened in the final minute.

A turn just outside the six-yard box and a cool finish. A legend was born. ‘”At the stadium the whole place went mad, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Zayed told The Irish Times. “And then on the bus afterwards all the players were coming up, hugging and kissing me, telling me I didn’t realise what I’d done. Then, when I got back to the hotel there was a wedding on and the people wanted me to join them as a special guest. An old man offered me $100, he told me how grateful he was and that he wanted to give me a gift. And this being Iran, it wasn’t the drink talking.”