Tehran Times - Esteghlal football team missed two crucial points as they were held to a 1-1 draw against Saipa in Iran Professional League (IPL) Monday night.
Masoud Rigi put the Blues into the lead in the 15th minute but just before the interval, Farshid Bagheri scored an own goal.
Esteghlal moved down to fifth place with 37 points, 13 points adrift of leaders Persepolis with eight games remaining.
In Isfahan, Sepahan defeated Gol Gohar 2-0 thanks to goals from Mohammadreza Hosseini and Mohammad Karimi.
Sepahan moved to second place with 40 points.
Foolad also jumped to third place after beating Machine Sazi 2-1 in Ahvaz. Babak Moradi gave the visiting team a lead just four minutes into the match but Farshad Ahmadzadeh leveled the score in the 16th minute.
Brazilian striker Luciano Pereira Mendes scored the winner in the 65th minute.