Pas Unseats Esteqlal as Blues Stutter at Family Fight

The title hopeful Esteqlal was toppled by Pas, which beat Sepahan in Naqsh-e Jahan stadium in Isfahan in the 25th week of the third Iran Pro League.

Leapfrogging one another in the recent weeks, Esteqlal and Pas have played cagey football since a single slip-up could be enough to determine the outcome of this season’s two-way tussle.

However, Esteqlal suffered a morale-sapping 2-1 defeat by the southern blues in Takhti stadium of Ahvaz to let Pas retake the top spot just one week from the season with a thrilling 4-3 victory.

Everything was against Esteqlal.

Former national midfielder of Pas, Khodadad Azizi, took an early lead, slotting home in the second minute and Ghlamreza Eidizadeh rattled Esteqlal crossbar and camp with a curling free-kick on 13 minutes.

It is hard for Esteqlal manager Amir Qal’e-Noei to lift his side’s spirits as the news of Pas’s second goal by national midfielder Javad Nekunam in the 15th minute was echoed in the stadium where the home team was heaping pressure.

Afshin Kamaei unleashed a 25-yard drive seven minutes later, which was palmed away by Esteqlal keeper Vahid Taleblu.

The Ahvazi side’s keeper Khaled Shahitawi denied the visitor’s Alireza Mansurian, Ali Samereh, and Faraz Fatemi in man-to-man challenges on 25-33 minutes.

Esteqlal and Pas were stunned as the home sides’ strikers Amir Khalifeh-Asl and Seyed Morteza Hashemzadeh grabbed their double in two minutes, both finding the net in the 38^th and 40^th minutes.

Pas kept on attacking after the restart, taking the lead again on 56 minutes, but Esteqlal was not transformed.

Mohsen Bayatinia, who was well fed by the fast-paced striker Arash Borhani steered the ball past the hapless Sepahan keeper Kamil Susko from close range.

Although Pas reduced to 10 men two minutes later when Mohammad Nosrati was red-carded by the referee Jalal Moradi, it celebrated the fourth in the 64^th minute by Borhani, whose volley kissed the net.

Bayatinia came close to his double eight minutes from time as his shot bounced against the post.

Sepahan minimized the arrears in the 84^th minute by Asghar Taleb-Nassab, making the remaining time stressful for Pas as Esteqlal defender Sattar Hamedani at last netted with a too late – the 90^th minute -- superb free-kick.

Pas gave a sigh of relief when Moradi blew his last whistle but the capital’s blues trudged off the field with deep sorrow as the game was terminated by the referee Ali Khosravi.

Winning 50 points, table-topper Pas will entertain Esteqlal of Ahvaz in Tehran and Esteqlal of Tehran having 48 points is to host Pegah of northern Gilan province in the last week.

KK/IS

END

MNA