Tehran Times - Persepolis football team defeated Sepidrood 3-1 and to move top of the Iran Professional League (IPL) table on Saturday.
Ali Alipour opened the scoring for the visiting team just 10 minutes into the match in Rasht’s Sardar-e Jangal Stadium.
Ahmad Nourollahi made it 2-0 in the 31st minute and Siamak Nemati scored Persepolis’s third goal in the 40th minute.
Mehrdad Bayrami pulled a goal back in the 67th minute and also missed a penalty one minute later.
“First, I would like to congratulate the Persian New Year. I am satisfied with our performance. We created several opportunities in this match but failed to score in the second half. I think it’s important we finish the year at the top of the table,” Persepolis coach Branko Ivankovic said.
SPONSORED
Also, Persepolis’s arch rivals Esteghlal edged past Nassaji 1-0 in Tehran.
Morteza Tabrizi found the back of the net from the penalty spot in the first half.
Persepolis moved up top of the table with 45 points, two points above Esteghlal.