Tehran Times - There are plenty of talking points to catch up on as the Iran Professional League (IPL) returned this week after the international break.
It was the second week of the league and it would be extremely rash to judge about what will happen in the future. It was a week full of controversies after leaked video which went viral showing Esteghlal coach Mahmoud Fekri who insulted his opponents at the end of the match.
Here are some talking points of the IPL weekend.
Controversial Matchday 2
Esteghlal lost 2-1 to their host Foolad Khuzestan in Ahvaz on Friday. Javad Nekounam, head coach of Foolad, was successful against his former club and gained the first win of the season in an important game. In the controversial match, Esteghlal striker Cheick Diabate argued with Fekri when he was supposed to go to the field as a substitute. Mohammad Daneshger, the Blues’ defender, was sidelined for a few minutes due to injury, but no one on the Esteghlal’s bench noticed his absence! And finally, the release of the video of Fekri was enough to spark a war of statements between the two clubs!
Angry coach
Persepolis, champions of the four past editions and the finalists of the 2020 AFC Champions League, won their first match of the season with a narrow victory (1-0) over visiting team Sanat Naft.
The talking point of the match was what Persepolis coach Yahya Golmohammadi did at the end of the match. The Reds’ head coach, who is well-known for his calmness, was nervous during the game. He was shown a red card after kicking the ball with anger and protesting the referee’s decision. He will be absent in the next match against Naft Masjed Soleyman.
The Nigerian effect
Godwin Mensha scored a brace in a 2-0 away win for Gol Gohar to secure the top of the table for Sirjan based team. The Nigerian striker’s performance made him the top scorer of the league with three goals. Amir Ghalenoei’s side are the only team with 100 percent of the points at the end of the second week. The low quality of Shohada Stadium’s artificial turf in Rafsanjan was the match's negative point, which provoked protests from Gol Gohar officials.