Hazfi Cup: Persepolis defeat Sepahan to advance to QFs [VIDEO]
Tehran Times – ISFAHAN, Persepolis football team earned a 4-2 win over Sepahan in extra time in Iran’s Hazfi Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday.
In the match held in Isfahan’s Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium, Persepolis winger Mohammad Omri was brought down in the area in the 11th minute by Siavash Yazdani and Giorgi Gvelesiani opened the scoring for the visiting team from the penalty spot. The goal was canceled out after Danial Esmaeilifar scored an own goal with five minutes remaining to the break.
Persepolis dominated the second half from start of the second half. They passed with purpose, spread it wide and created several chances and Issa Alekasir finally found the back of the net with a header in the 57th minute.
Shortly after, Sepahan came back to the game and dominated possession. Their forwards Shahriar Moghanlou and Omid Noorafkan were on the verge of finding back of the net but Persepolis goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand caught their efforts.
In the 75th minute, Sepahan midfielder Farshad Ahmadzadeh leveled the score, after Beiranvand failed to save Milad Zakipour’s cross from the left flank and unmarked Ahmadzadeh opened the empty goal.
The match ended in a 2-2 after 90 minutes.
Siamak Nemati, who came off the bench in the second half, scored Persepolis’s third goal in the 94th minute.
Sepahan were reduced to 10 men in the 99th minute after Yazdani was shown his second yellow card for falling brought Persepolis Brazilian striker Leandro Pereira in the penalty area. Gvelesiani made the scoreboard 4-2 from the penalty spot.