PGL Week 29 Review: Tractor Sazi Downs Esteghlal As Naft Masjed Soleyman Is Relegated

PERSIANFOOTBALL.COM – As we get closer to the final week of 2014/15 edition of the Persian Gulf Pro League, 8 games took place in the 29^th round as pretty much all 16 teams have something to fight for. There is a lot on the line at both ends of the table as we analyse this week’s actions.

Games Of The Week:

Esteghlal 1-4 Tractor Sazi

League leaders, Tractor Sazi, travelled to Tehran to face Esteghlal in what was the most anticipated game of the week. Toni’s men had slipped to a draw against Gostaresh in the Tabriz Derby last week and were hoping to bounce back with a win. The home side, however, had finally won a game after 5 game winless run and were relying on the fans’ support to push them across the line. Amir Ghalenoei named a surprising line-up as he left Omranzadeh and Heydari on the bench with young winger, Behnam Barzay, winning his first start for the club.

Tractor Sazi began the game with a counter-attacking mindset as they allowed Esteghlal to have much of the ball and relied on the pace of Edinho, Saman NarimanJahan and Farid Karimi to trouble a slow Esteghlal back 4. NarimanJahan silenced the Esteghlal fans on 7^th minute when Edinho found him just behind the box and his right footed shot found its way past Forouzan to give Tractor the lead. Hamed Lak’s inconsistency shone through again on the half hour mark when Beikzadeh’s freekick went right down the middle but the Tractor’s keeper made a hash of what should have been a routine save and allowed Omid Ebrahimi to tap in to make it 1-1. As the first half headed into added time, NarimanJahan repaid Edinho for his assist and he found the Brazilian in the box with a through ball and Edinho made no mistake as he made it 2-1. It was poor defending by Mkoyan who allowed Edinho to be onside. Second half saw the same pattern, Esteghlal pushing forward and being unable to cope with Tractor’s quick counters. 55^th minute saw Tractor doubling

their lead. NarimanJahan started the move and got at the end of it when Edinho found him in the box again with a cross as he headed it through Forouzan’s legs to make it 3-1. Esteghlal’s poor defending cost them yet again when a simple clearance from Tractor’s centre back ended up at NarimanJahan’s feet who outpaced Amir Hossein Sadeghi and he completed the scoreline and his hatrick with a superb finish.

Esteghlal’s hopes of top 4 finish are now ended and fans were furious at full time with their team’s shocking performance. Edinho and Saman NarimanJahan tortured the Esteghlal back 4 who were completely disorganised and were simply unable to deal with Tractor Sazi’s well co-ordinated counter attacks. Tractor remain top of the table and head into an exciting title showdown against 2^nd placed Naft Tehran, in full confidence.

Peykan 2-3 Rah Ahan:                                     

Shahre Qods Stadium welcomed Peykan and Rah Ahan in a winner-takes-all relegation 6 pointer. Peykan, who are in a dreadfull run of form, went into the game on level points with Rah Ahan, who occupied the last relegation spot. Rah Ahan were in full confidence having won against Saipa in the previous week.

It was a quiet first half but the game came into life in the second half when on 55^th minute, Rah Ahan’s Swedish born winger, Martin Mutumba, gave his team a crucial lead. Mutumba has been a key figure in Rah Ahan’s bid for survival since arrival in January. But this lead lasted a few seconds after Peykan’s young midfielder, Hossein Karimi, brought the game level on 56^th minute. Both teams were now going for it as a draw would do no good to either team. Few minutes later, former Esteghlal and Sepahan midfielder and one of Peykan’s big name signings in summer, Ahmad Jamshidian, gave Peykan the lead which resulted in huge celebrations from their bench and players. The celebrations proved to be premature when Rah Ahan’s best player this season came to the rescue. Iranian International, Ramin Rezaeian, who has been a star performer in recent weeks, bended in a beautifully taken freekick into Mahdi Rahmati’s goal to make it 2-2 on 66^th minute. As the game looked set to be ending in a draw, the referee announced 7 minutes of added time and it was Rezaeian again who was fouled in the penalty area, he stepped up himself and took the penalty calmly to make it 3-2 as he ran towards the Peykan bench to celebrate, much to the dismay of Samad Marfavi.

This was possibly Rah Ahan’s biggest game of the season and they came through it victoriously. They are now 12^th and well out of the relegation zone with Peykan now drifting to 15^th and in danger of the drop. Peykan’s next game sees them up against Esteghlal Khuzestan who are now 14^th and this will be another battle for survival. Peykan’s form is abysmal but they have to find a win from somewhere.

Rest Of The Games:

Another title challenger, Sepahan, travelled to Masjed Soleyman to face Naft MS. Anything other than a win for the home side would’ve confirmed their relegation. Karami, Sharifi and Khalatbari got on the scoresheet as Sepahan ran out 3-1 winners. Naft Masjed Soleyman becomes the first relegated team. Behrouz Makvandi’s team fought well this season but their lack of quality shone through as they wave goodbye to the league.

Jaber Ansari scored twice for Gostaresh Tabriz as they confirmed their survival with a 2-1 win at home against weakened Persepolis who rested many playes. Tadeu scored a consolation for the Reds but it was Gostaresh’s day as Faraz Kamalvand and his players celebrated another season in Persian Gulf Pro League.

Takhti Stadium witnessed Naft Tehran grind out a tough 1-0 win against Saba Qom. Full back, Vahid Hamdinejad scored for a second consecutive game as Alireza Mansourian’s men head into the final game vs leaders, Tractor Sazi, with a win.

Zob Ahan take another huge step towards a AFC Champions League qualification with a 2-0 home win against Malavan. Their incredible run continues as they could end up with a top 4 finish and a Hazfi Cup in the bag when they meet Naft in the final in a few weeks.

Majid Jalali’s young Saipa record another win as they aim a top half finish. 3-2 was the final score of an exciting game where Esteghlal Khuzestan battled back from 2-0 down to 2-2 but only for veteran, Ebrahim Sadeghi, to score a 90^th minute winner. Esteghlal Khuzestan are now in the relegation play-off spot but they face Peykan next week and Abdollah Veisi will be hoping for a win at home to secure their status in the league.

The only 0-0 draw of the week came in Ahvaz where Foolad were held to a draw by Padideh. This result is a huge blow Dragan Skocic’s hopes of a top 4 finish as they are now 2 points behind Zob Ahan with one week of the season to go.

Players Of The Week:

Saman NarimanJahan: Tractor Sazi’s 24 year old striker tore the Esteghlal defence apart with his pace and quick feet. His partnership with Edinho was spectacular as he scored a hatrick and assisted one and the Brazilian scored one and assisted two.

Ramin Rezaeian: Rezaeian stepped up again to show he deserves to play for a much better team. His brace earned his team a huge win as they finally get out of relegation zone. He now has 8 goals which is a great record considering he plays as a full back for most games.

Jaber Ansari: Another goalscoring hero is Jaber Ansari who scored a brace for Gostaresh as they beat Persepolis 2-1. Tabriz born midfielder secured his club’s status in the league for another season with his brace.