10-man Iran`s Persepolis stuns Esteghlal

TEHRAN,Feb.4(MNA)– 10-man Persepolis came from two goals down to beat Esteghlal in Iran Professional League (IPL) thanks to a hat trick from Eamon Zayedon on Thursday. Persepolis made one of the greatest comebacks in Iran’s domestic football history when the team, which was at deficit of 2-0 up to the 82nd minute in the game, scored three stunning goals during the last nine minutes. Esteghlal failed to win their fifth successive victory in front of 60,000 spectators at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium. Milad Meidavoudi put Esteghlal into the lead in the 31st minute. Esteghlal midfielder Fereydoon Zandi scored five minutes into the second half. Persepolis player Mehrdad Oladi was shown a straight red card by referee Alireza Faghani due to a bad tackle in the 68th minute. Zayed, who came from the bench in the second half, pulled a goal back in the 82nd minute. The former Derry City striker scored again two minutes later. Zayed scored the decisive goal in the dying moments of the match. “I am happy for three reasons. First of all, the fans watched a beautiful game. Second one is that the fans have to feel proud of their team, and third one is my players did well in this match,” Persepolis coach Mustafa Denizli said at a post-match news conference. Two teams observed a minute’s silence in respect of 74 people, who were killed during al-Masry and al-Ahly match in Egypt on Wednesday.