9/28/2007
Kaveh Mahjoob, lastkick.com

Overshadowed by Sepahan!

In Iran, week seven of Persian Gulf League was overshadowed by two events:

First, Sepahan eliminated Kawasaki of Japan and advanced to the semi finals of the Asian Champions League. This is the first time an Iranian club has advanced as far since the new Asian-wide league was established several years ago.

Second, after a long battle with cancer, Hamid Shirzadegan, former great Iranian national team of the 50’s and 60’s passed away.

The game of the week was held in Tehran between popular Esteghlal and Saba Battery. Esteghlal has been in crisis for weeks and needed to win in order to recapture the lost confidence of the fans. Saba on the other hand has turned into a serious contender. The match ended in a 1-1 tie and once again Esteghlal coach, Nasser Hejazi, has to endure another week of high pressure before the next match. Many believe that a loss in the big derby with Perspolis on week 9 would be the end of Hajazi’s tenure at Esteghlal. Conversely, a win in the derby would ease the pressure for several weeks.

Perspolis was on the road against Pas. For decades Pas was one of the three pillars of football success in Iran. Ever since this past summer, when Pas moved to Hamadan, the team lost key players and has been fighting to stay in the middle of the pack. Against the RED’s, Pas lost for the third time this season and Perspolis managed to stop the two games win-less skid. With 17 points, Perspolis is at the top of the table.

Saipa with Coach Ali Daei was on the road against the surprise team of Caspian Sea. Malavan, at home was hoping to register a victory and move up to the third place. Saipa defeated the home team in heavy rain and now is in the 5th place with 11 points.

Here are the results of the 7th week:

(Home teams are noted first)

Pas 1 – Perspolis 2

Saba Battery 1 – Esteghlal 1

Paykan 0 – Sanat Naft 0

Esteghlal Ahvaz 2 – Bargh 0

Moghavemat 2 – Pegah 0

Malavan 1 – Saipa 2

Rahahan 2 – Abumoslem 0

Mes 1 – Shirin Faraz 2

Zobahan – Sepahan – Postponed due to Asian Champions League match

TABLE RANKINGS

1 – Perspolis 17 points

2 – Saba Battery 15

3 – Sepahan 13 (two games in hand)

4 – Malavan 11

5 – Saipa 11

6 – Rahahan 10

…

9 – Esteghlal 9

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

0 and 0 – Three teams have not lost this season. They are Perspolis, Saba Battery and Sepahan (only played 5 matches). One team has not won; Pegah.

2 – # of goals allowed by Saba Battery after 7 games. Best defense in the league.

2.2 – Average # of goals per match this season.

4 out of 6 – In the six years history of Asian Champions League, this is the 4th time Sepahan is one of Iran’s representatives.

17 – Perspolis has not lost in 17 consecutive league matches. That includes 7 matches this year and 10 last year.

25 – It took 25 seconds for Moghavemat to score a goal against Pegah. This was perhaps the fastest goal in Iran’s premier league history.

Kaveh_Mahjoob@hotmail.com