Perspolis Downs Esteghlal in Tehran Derby

TEHRAN: Perspolis came from behind to beat Esteghlal 2-1 on Friday in the 61st derby between the two teams.

Both teams came out of the blocks quickly, and it was Esteghlal who took the lead in the 15th minute. A corner kick by Navazi from the left, found the un-marked Amir Hossein Sadeghi who managed to score with an easy header.

Esteghlal's lead was short lived, and Perspolis equalised 7 minutes later. A quick-taken corner kick by Perspolis from the right, took Rahmati in Esteghlal goal by surprise, and Madanchi managed to find the back of the net with a shot from outside of the penalty area.

The two teams went to half time with the score locked at 1-1.

The two teams went in search of the winner in the second half, and it was Perspolis who managed to score their second in the 71st minute. A beautiful pass by Saha put Oladi through on goal, and he managed to lob Rahamti, giving Perspolis a priceless lead.

Esteghlal tried hard in the remaining 20 minutes of the match to compensate, but they found it hard to break Perspolis' defence. The game finished 2-1.

The result moves Perspolis to third in the table, above Esteghlal on goal difference. Saipa are currently leading the table with 18 points from 8 games. Esteghlal Ahvaz are second with 16 points, and Perspolis and Esteghlal are third and fourth, both with 15 points.

Match Details:

Perspolis 2-1 Esteghlal

Goals: Sadeghi (15), Madanchi (22), Oldai (71)