TEHRAN, Aug. 02 (MNA) The new season has kicked off in Irans premier league with 16 teams; champion was defeated in first game.Tractorsazi of Tabriz defeated last season champion Foulad of Khuzestan; Sepahan of Isfahan, Esteqlal of Tehran, and Saba Batri of Qom won their first game; Persepolis, Tehrans Naft, and Saipa of Karaj drawn; and Zobahan of Isfahan and Peikan of Tehran finished without a point in the first day.
14thleague kicked off on Thursday and Friday, where the champion Foulad of Khuzestan lost 0-1 to Tractorsazi. Edinho was an opportunist to score the only goal of the game.
Esteqlal received the earliest goal of the week, but they had a come-back in the second half with Heidari and Jasem Karrar who retaliated with 2 goals. Estilis men played well, but they were defeated by Esteqlals experience and motivation.
Saba of Qom took the first blood belatedly in the game in 86thminute, when Ambuno Achile extinguished Zobahans fire of hope for a draw at home. This was the first loss for Zobahan with Yahya Golmohammadi as head coach. Saipa got nothing more than a goalless draw against the new-comer from Khuzestan, Naft of Masjede Soleiman and was nicknamed the greatest failure of the week.
Padideh of Mashhad, also a new-comer to the premier league brought Malavan of Anzali to a grinding halt to get its first point in the new season. In Isfahan, Sepahan stood in the first place above Esteqlal, Tractorsazi, and Saba of Qom, with a 2-0 win against Peikan of Tehran. Peikan is now in the bottom of the league. Khuzestans Sanati exchanged loss for a draw at home with a late goal by Seifollahi against Gostaresh Foulad of Tabriz, the citys second team, which Tartars men deemed as not so bad a result in Ahwaz.
Persepolis in Azadi Stadium hosted Naft of Tehran. They scored early in the first half with Sadeqians free kick, but Qolamreza Rezaei, Persepolis former striker, scored against his former team in 27thminute. The game had also two red cards for both host and guest. The result was welcomed by Naft who grabbed a point.
By Mehr News Agency
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