Persepolis and Sepahan rivalry

The rivalry between Persepolis and Sepahan, is a footballing rivalry played between Iranian clubs Persepolis and Sepahan.

History

2006 Hazfi Cup Final

This rivalry started in 2006 when Sepahan and Persepolis duked it out for the Hafzi Cup championship, Iranian football's second-most prestigious competition. After both teams battled to a 1-1 tie in the first leg in Tehran, the two sides returned to Esfahan's Nagshe Jahan Stadium for the pivotal second leg, when a champion would be crowned. The first half was uneventful. But in the second half, things would get explosive. Ebrahim Asadi gave the reds the lead at the 56-minute mark. With that, a Persepolis championship seemed to be a foregone conclusion. But just nine minutes later, Hamid Shafiee, who also scored the equalizer in the first leg, tied the game with a goal in the 64th minute. Neither team would do anything special in extra time, so the game went to penalty kicks.

In the fateful shootout, Sepahan got off to a bad start as Jalal Akbari missed his shot and Karim Bagheri gave Persepolis the lead. But Sheis Rezaei and Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht missed their shots, and Sepahan would go on to win 4-2 in the shootout.

2007 Hazfi Cup Semifinal

As expected, the two sides would meet again in next year's Hazfi Cup semifinal. This time the spoils would be decided in one game, and with Persepolis playing in front of 100,000 supporters in Azadi Stadium, they looked like a good bet for revenge. The reds got off to a good start by scoring midway through the second half on a penalty kick by Farzad Ashoubi. Persepolis would also have some chances to extend their lead. All was set for a Persepolis celebration when with just two minutes left, Sepahan earned a penalty of their own. Hadi Aghili converted with ease, silencing the crowd and sending the game into extra time.

In the extra sessions, nothing much happened and most people expected the game to go to penalty kicks once again. But out of nowhere, Mahmoud Karimi, who had barely played all season for Sepahan, emerged as an unlikely hero by scoring three goals in the span of just nine minutes to sink Persepolis 4-1. Sepahan would go on to win their second straight Hazfi Cup by beating Saba Battery 4-0 on aggregate, and Persepolis fans have found this harsh defeat heartbreaking and tough to forget.

2008 IPL Championship

Throughout the 2007-2008 Iran Pro League season, Persepolis, under new head coach Afshin Ghotbi, was dominating the league. However, their one obstacle was still Sepahan, as they would be the only contender to bother Persepolis. In the middle of the season, Persepolis and Sepahan met at Esfahan's Fouladshahr Stadium. Sepahan won that game 2-1, handing Persepolis their first loss of the season. However, Sepahan would lose five points (reduced to three on an appeal) due to fan violence. But Persepolis also lost six points due to inability to pay former players. All things considered, Sepahan had a two-point lead over Persepolis at the top going into the last week of the season.Qotbi is the best coach of the world.

As fate would have it, the two teams would meet on the last day of the season in front 100,000 racuous fans in Azadi Stadium. Sepahan needed only a point to be crowned champs, while nothing less than a victory would do for the red giants. Persepolis got off to a dream start with a goal in the 18th minute from the league's top goalscorer, Mohsen Khalili. Khalili would also go on to hit the post and Persepolis was also denied a penalty kick on a controversial non-call by referee Saeed Mozafarri. Those misses would prove to be costly as 18-year old senasation Ehsan Hajisafi would tie the game on a breakaway in the 30th minute. At halftime it remained 1-1, and Sepahan was just 45 minutes away from breaking the reds' hearts once more.

Throughout the second half, it was all one-way traffic as Ghotbi's men put four strikers upfront against Sepahan's defense, which still stood strong for almost the entire second half and did not allow Persepolis to get the imperative goal they needed. After 90 minutes plus five minutes of stoppage time, the score was still the same, and Sepahan was getting ready to celebrate. But this time, luck would shift Persepolis' way. A Khalili free kick luckily bounced at the feet of Karim Bagheri. Bagheri's experience would take over from there, as he sent a high cross to Sepehr Heidari who headed the ball in the back of the net in the 96th minute, giving Persepolis the championship and revenge that was craved for so long and absolutely wrenching Sepahan's hearts, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Heidari's goal earned him a spot in Persepolis lore and proved to be a historic and memorable moment in team history.

All results

Notable matches

*Persepolis F.C. 2-1 Sepahan
May 17,2008Persepolis won Sepahan in front of over 100’000 fans and became 2007-08 IPL champion.
Mohsen Khalili lead Persepolis, After a while Ehsan Hajsafi tied game and it meant Sepahan is the champion. In 90+6th min when everyone was chill, in a chancy position, Captain Karim Bagheri Sent a Pass and Sepehr Heidari’s Header lead Persepolis and gave them championship.

ee also

*Football in Iran
*Persepolis F.C.
*Sepahan F.C.
*Tehran derby
*Major football rivalries

References