Persepolis, Esteghlal to face off in 83rd Tehran derby on September 16

Footballers from Iran’s professional clubs Persepolis and Esteghlal are scheduled to challenge each other in mid-September for the 83rd showdown between the two arch rivals in the Iranian capital, Tehran.

The match will start at 5:00 p.m. local time (1230 GMT) on September 16 at Azadi Stadium, western Tehran, in the sixth week of the 16th edition of the Persian Gulf Pro League, which serves as the highest level of the Iranian football league system.

On April 15, Persepolis managed to chalk up a notable victory against Esteghlal by a two-goal margin at the end of the 82nd Tehran derby.

Branko Ivankovic’s men clad in red could overcome the Blues 4-2 in a thrilling match played under the rain at Azadi Stadium and officiated by Mohsen Torky, whom the Referees Committee of the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) appointed to the task.

Persepolis scored the opener in the 5th minute, when forward Mehdi Taremi sailed the ball past goalkeeper Mehdi Rahmati and into Esteghlal’s net.

The Reds built up pressure on the opponent’s goal later on, and a perfectly timed header from Taremi in the 34th minute put Persepolis 2-0 ahead of Esteghlal.

Both teams failed to produce more goals in the remaining minutes of the first half.

Persepolis’ footballers maintained composure and lead after the breather. They made use of their strengths and resources, and Ramin Rezaeian struck the third goal of the day for the popular Iranian team in the 54th minute.

A minute later, Esteghlal’s midfielder Jaber Ansari strove to break up Persepolis’ defense and opened up the scoring for the Blues.

Midfielder Mohsen Mosalman placed the ball inside the opposite side’s net in the 86th minute to make it 4-1 for Persepolis.

A late penalty kick by Esteghlal’s midfielder Omid Ebrahimi in the 89th minute took the score to 4-2 just before the referee blew on his whistle and signaled the end of the match.

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