Persepolis emerge victorious over Esteghlal [VIDEO]
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Loading...Tehran Times – TEHRAN, Persepolis defeated Esteghlal 1-0 thanks to an own goal in the second half in Iran Professional League (IPL) on Sunday.
Mehdi Abdi, who came off the bench in the 80th minute, received a superb pass from Bashar Resan inside the Esteghlal’s area one minute later and found the back of the net courtesy of a deflection.
Esteghlal midfielder Ali Karimi missed a penalty in the 28th minute and was shown a second yellow card with a minute remaining.
Two teams showed a lackluster performance in a match which is one the most exciting derbies in Asia.
“first, I have to congratulate my players because they played very well. Alireza Beiranvand saved a penalty in the first half and I believe that he is the best goalkeeper in Asia. I think we won an important match in Iran football and deserved the win,” Persepolis coach Gabriel Calderon said in the post-match press conference.
Persepolis moved to second place with nine points in the table behind leaders Padideh on goal difference.
Esteghlal are 15th with two points from four matches.
