Persepolis–Sepahan rivalry
 | |
| Other names | Persepolis vs Sepahan |
|---|---|
| Locale |
 Tehran, Iran Isfahan, Iran |
| Teams |
Persepolis Football Club Sepahan Football Club |
| First meeting | 11 February 1972 |
| Latest meeting |
1–3 Sepahan - Persepolis (September 21, 2016) |
| Next meeting |
March 2017 Persepolis vs. Sepahan |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total |
Official: 65 Friendlies: 3 |
| Most wins | Persepolis (22) |
| Most player appearances | Moharram Navidkia (24) |
| Top scorer |
Rasoul Khatibi Mahmoud Karimi Sibaki (5) |
| Largest victory |
6–0 Persepolis - Sepahan (November 15, 1972) |
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 contested 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 from the home side and most Spectators hoped the game to go to penalty kicks again. But the Sepahan players never gave up and could not let the chance decide for the winner. Out of nowhere, Mahmoud Karimi, who had barely played all season for Sepahan, and was ignored by the government controlled media of Iran, 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.
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 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, 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.
The historic events of this day, including the suspicious decisions of the referee-Said Mozafarizade (Who later, suddenly and with no apparent reasons resigned from football) completed one season supports for Persepolis, marked the last ever IPL championship for the government sponsored and supported Persepolis.
2009 Hazfi Cup Round of 16
The two teams would meet at the Azadi Stadium again, this time in the Round of 16 of the Hazfi Cup. This time, however, both teams had been through a very lackluster season as they both changed coaches twice during the regular season. Sepahan and Persepolis finished 4th and 5th respectively in the IPL, which meant a very underachieving season for both teams.
Persepolis would take an early lead on a 12th minute cracker by Maziar Zare. Since then, the game became more lively as both teams created numerous chances. Zare also missed a golden opportunity to double his goal tally and Persepolis' lead after missing a penalty kick. In second half stoppage time, Sepahan captain Moharram Navidkia also squandered a tailor-made opportunity by firing over the bar from just a few yards out. Persepolis would go on to the quarterfinals, where they went down 2–1 to Pas Hamedan.
The aftermath of this game was very ironic in the sense that Sepahan, despite crashing out of the Hazfi Cup, would still qualify for the AFC Champions League because neighbors Zob Ahan, who finished second (among the top three) in the IPL, won the Hazfi Cup, which gave 4th placed Sepahan qualification to the AFC Champions League. Persepolis, however, had nothing to show for their efforts after having a more expensive squad than last season, when they won the IPL.
2013 Hazfi Cup Final
The 2013 Hazfi Cup Final was the clubs' second meeting in the final where Sepahan won 4–2 over Persepolis in the penalties in 2006. The match was also the last match of Persepolis captain Mehdi Mahdavikia, a former Iran national football team and Hamburg SV midfielder. After failed to agree on a venue between Ahvaz, Mashhad and Tabriz, final venue was decided with draw which Azadi Stadium was announced as the venue for the 2013 final. The two teams finished 1-1 in regular time and 2-2 after extra-time. The game went to penalties and Sepahan defeated Persepolis 4-2 in the penalty shootout.[1]
All results
| No. | Date | Persepolis vs Sepahan | Persepolis's goal | Sepahan's goal | Venue | Competition | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1972–Feb-11 | 2–1 | Hossein Kalani – Mahmoud Khordbin | ? | Isfahan | Local League | |
| 2 | 1972 | 6–0 | Homayoun Behzadi "2" – Adibi – Ali Parvin – Mahmoud Khordbin – Reza Vatankhah | - | Tehran | Local League | |
| 3 | 1975 | 1–0 | Ali Parvin | - | Isfahan | Takht Jamshid Cup | |
| 4 | 1975 | 3–0 | Dastjerdi "2" – Safar Iranpak | - | Tehran | Takht Jamshid Cup | |
| 5 | 1976 | 1–0 | Haj Rahimpour | - | Tehran | Takht Jamshid Cup | |
| 6 | 1976 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | Takht Jamshid Cup | |
| 7 | 1977 | 2–2 | Haj Rahimpour – Ali Parvin | ? | Tehran | Takht Jamshid Cup | |
| 8 | 1977 | 1–1 | Fatahi | ? | Isfahan | Takht Jamshid Cup | |
| 9 | 1978 | 3–0 | Mahmoud Khordbin – Safar Iranpak – Ali Parvin | - | Tehran | Takht Jamshid Cup | |
| 10 | 1978 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | Takht Jamshid Cup | |
| 11 | 1989 | 1–1 | Kermani | ? | Isfahan | Qods League | |
| 12 | 1989 | 3–0 | Abedian – Yusefi – Karim Bavi | - | Tehran | Qods League | |
| 13 | 1991 | 3–0 | Naser Mohammadkhani "2" – Mojtaba Moharrami | - | Tehran | Azadegan Cup | |
| 14 | 1991 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | Azadegan Cup | |
| 15 | 1993 | 3–0 | Shah Mohammadi – Farshad Pious – Manafi | - | Tehran | Azadegan Cup | |
| 16 | 1993 | 0–1 | - | ? | Isfahan | Azadegan Cup | |
| 17 | 1995 | 1–1 | Hassan Shirmohammadi | ? | Tehran | Azadegan Cup | |
| 18 | 1995 | 1–1 | Behrouz Rahbarifar | ? | Isfahan | Azadegan League | |
| 19 | 1996 | 2–2 | Behrouz Rahbarifar – Edmond Bezik | ? | Tehran | Azadegan League | |
| 20 | 1996 | 0–1 | - | ? | Isfahan | Azadegan League | |
| 21 | 1998–Oct-9 | 0–1 | - | ? | Isfahan | Azadegan League | |
| 22 | 1999–Feb-22 | 3–1 | Edmond Bezik "2" – Hamid Estili | ? | Tehran | Azadegan League | |
| 23 | 1999-May | 2–2 | ? | ? | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | 1/4[2] |
| 24 | 1999-June | 1–0 | Edmound Bezik | - | Isfahan | Hazfi Cup | 1/4[3] |
| 25 | 1999–Nov-20 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | Azadegan League | |
| 26 | 2000–Apr-28 | 1–0 | Behnam Seraj (31) | - | Tehran | Azadegan League | |
| 27 | 2000–Dec-23 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | Azadegan League | |
| 28 | 2001–Apr-19 | 0–2 | - | Seyyed-Amin Musavi (67) (86) | Tabriz | Azadegan League | |
| 29 | 2001–Nov-23 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | IPL 1st | |
| 30 | 2002–Mar-17 | 3–2 | Behrooz Rahbarifar(23p)-Amirhosseyn Aslanian(86)-Behnam Abolghasempour(90+3) | Leon Stepanian(46)-Afshin Hajipour(64) | Tehran | IPL 1st | |
| 31 | 2003–Jan-02 | 1–2 | Ali Ansarian | Edmond Bezik-Moharram Navidkia | Isfahan | IPL 2nd | |
| 32 | 2003–May-19 | 1–1 | Ali Ansarian | Nasser Farshbaf | Tehran | IPL 2nd | |
| 33 | 2003–Sep-30 | 3–3 | Reza Jabbari(23)-Ali Salmani(52)-Issa Traoré(73) | Talebnasab(37)-Bezik(40) (48) | Tehran | IPL 3rd | |
| 34 | 2004–Jan-16 | 2–1 | Afshin Peyrovani(54)-Pejman Jamshidi (89) | Mahmoud Karimi(46) | Isfahan | IPL 3rd | |
| 35 | 2004–Oct-29 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | IPL 4th | |
| 36 | 2005–May-15 | 1–2 | Javad Kazemian (35) | Rasoul Khatibi (28) (68) | Tehran | IPL 4th | |
| 37 | 2005–Dec-23 | 2–3 | Javad Kazemian (35)-Pejman Nouri (56) | Rasoul Khatibi (30) (68)-Hadi Jafari (52) | Tehran | IPL 5th | |
| 38 | 2006–Sep-13 | 1–1 | Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht (48) | Hamid Shafiei (73) | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | Final |
| 39 | 2006-Sep-22 | 1–1 (2–4Pen) | Ebrahim Asadi (55) | Hamid Shafiei (64) | Isfahan | Hazfi Cup | Final |
| 40 | 2006–Apr-21 | 0–2 | - | Rasoul Khatibi (69)-Jaba Mujiri (85) | Isfahan | IPL 5th | |
| 41 | 2006–Oct-22 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | IPL 6th | |
| 42 | 2007-Feb-9 | 2–1 | Abolfazl Hajizadeh (18)-Mehrzad Madanchi (89) | Moharram Navidkia (78) | Tehran | IPL 6th | |
| 43 | 2007–May-29 | 1–4 | Farzad Ashoobi (64) | Hadi Aghili (86)-Mahmud Karimi(108,111,117) | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | Semi-Final |
| 44 | 2007–Dec-31 | 1–2 | Abbas Aghaei (80) | Mohammad Nosrati (36 og)-Emad Ridha (41) | Isfahan | IPL 7th | |
| 45 | 2008–May-17 | 2–1 | Mohsen Khalili (16)-Sepehr Heidari (90+6) | Ehsan Hajsafi (29) | Tehran | IPL 7th | |
| 46 | 2008–Oct-26 | 3–2 | Karim Bagheri (12)-Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht (45,64) | Emad Ridha (28,34) | Tehran | IPL 8th | |
| 47 | 2009–Feb-27 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | IPL 8th | |
| 48 | 2009–May-30 | 1–0 | Maziar Zare (12) | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | 1/8 | |
| 49 | 2009-Nov-28 | 1–2 | Sepehr Heidari (65) | Ebrahim Toure (27)-Hadi Aghili (90)(P) | Isfahan | IPL 9th | |
| 50 | 2010–May-18 | 1–1 | Hadi Norouzi (47) | Mehdi Karimian (77) | Tehran | IPL 9th | |
| 51 | 2010–Sep-29 | 1–4 | Tiago (31) | Ebrahim Toure (41)-Hadi Aghili (66)(P)- Khosro Heidari (73)-Reza Enayati (86) | Tehran | IPL 10th | |
| 52 | 2011–May-15 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | IPL 10th | |
| 53 | 2011–May-29 | 0–0(4–2Pen) | - | - | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | 1/4 |
| 54 | 2011–Nov 19 | 0–0 | - | - | Tehran | IPL 11th | |
| 55 | 2012–Apr-12 | 1–1 | Mohammad Nouri (86) | Xhevahir Sukaj (81) | Isfahan | IPL 11th | |
| 56 | 2012–Sep-23 | 0–2 | - | Adel Kolahkaj (51)-Xhevahir Sukaj (72) | Isfahan | IPL 12th | |
| 57 | 2013–Feb-26 | 1–0 | Hadi Norouzi (92) | – | Tehran | IPL 12th | |
| 58 | 2013-May-05 | 2–2 (2–4Pen) | Karim Ansarifard (24)-Mohammad Nouri (99) | Xhevahir Sukaj (59)-Mohammad Gholami (106) | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | Final |
| 59 | 2013-Sep-20 | 0–2 | – | Hadi Aghili (6)(P)-Amin Jahan Alian (90+4) | Isfahan | IPL 13th | |
| 60 | 2014-Jan-31 | 2–0 | Mohammad Abbaszadeh (12)-Hamidreza Aliasgari (18) | – | Tehran | IPL 13th | |
| 61 | 2014-Oct-3 | 0–1 | – | Mehdi Sharifi (90+4) | Isfahan | IPL 14th | |
| 62 | 2015-Apr-16 | 1-2 | Hadi Norouzi(44) | Mehdi Sharifi(85)- luciano pereira(90+2) | Tehran | IPL 14th | |
| 63 | 2015-Aug-13 | 2–4 | Mehdi Taremi (12)- Omid Alishah (32) | Ehsan Hajsafi (8)-Michael Umaña (39 og)- Hadi Aghili (56)(P)- Mohammadreza Khalatbari (82) | Isfahan | IPL 15th | |
| 64 | 2016-Feb-02 | 2-2 | Ali Alipour (50) - Kamal Kamyabinia (75) | Fouzil Mousayef (10) - Luciano Pereira (65) | Tehran | IPL 15th | |
| 65 | 2016-Sep-21 | 3–1 | Omid Alishah (15)-Mehdi Taremi (61,74) | Ehsan Hajsafi (23) | Isfahan | IPL 16th | |
| 66 | TBD | Tehran | IPL 16th |
Summary of results
| Apps | Persepolis wins | Draws | Sepahan wins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League (before IPL) | 26 | 11 | 11 | 4 |
| IPL League | 31 | 8 | 11 | 12 |
| Hazfi Cup | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Total | 65 | 22 | 27 | 19 |
| Position | Teams | Matches | Wins | Draws | Loses | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Goal Difference |
Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Persepolis | 65 | 22 | 24 | 19 | 82 | 69 | +13 | 90 |
| 2 | Sepahan | 65 | 19 | 24 | 22 | 69 | 82 | –13 | 81 |
Sepahan goal scorers
5 Goals
4 Goals
3 Goals
2 Goals
1 Goals
- Ibrahima Touré
- Mohammad Nosrati
- Hadi Jafari
- Adel Kolahkaj
- Mohammad Gholami
- Amin Jahan Alian
- Mohammadreza Khalatbari
- Fouzil Mousayef
Persepolis goal scorers
- 4 Goals
- 3 Goals
- 2 Goals
- Homayoun Behzadi
- Safar Iranpak
- Naser Mohammadkhani
- Ali Ansarian
- Javad Kazemian
- Sepehr Heidari
- Mohammad Nouri
- Omid Alishah
- Haj Rahimpour
- Dastjerdi
- 1 Goal
- Hossein Kalani
- Reza Vatankhah
- Karim Bavi
- Mojtaba Moharrami
- Farshad Pious
- Hassan Shirmohammadi
- Hamid Estili
- Behnam Seraj
- Amirhossein Aslanian
- Behnam Abolghasempour
- Reza Jabbari
- Ali Salmani
- Issa Traoré
- Afshin Peyrovani
- Pejman Jamshidi
- Pejman Nouri
- Ebrahim Asadi
- Abolfazl Hajizadeh
- Mehrzad Madanchi
- Abbas Aghaei
- Mohsen Khalili
- Manafi
- Shah Mohammadi
- Fatahi
- Adibi
- Kermani
- Abedian
- Yusefi
- Karim Bagheri
- Maziar Zare
- Karim Ansarifard
- Mohammad Abbaszadeh
- Hamidreza Aliasgari
- Mehdi Taremi
- Omid Alishah
- Ali Alipour
- Kamal Kamyabinia
Notable matches
- Persepolis F.C. 2–1 Sepahan
May 17, 2008
Persepolis won Sepahan in front of over 110’000 fans and became 2007–08 IPL champion. Mohsen Khalili scored a spectacular volley from 20 yards to give Persepolis the lead, But Ehsan Hajysafi equalised a few minutes later. With ninety minutes over, the injury time was nearly finished but Khalili again shot a deflected free-kick, Finding Karim Bagheri in the box. Bagheri turned and crossed the ball for Sepehr Heidari, who scored the second goal with a header to win the match for his team.
See also
- Football in Iran
- Persepolis F.C.
- Sepahan F.C.
- Tehran derby
- Isfahan derby
- Esteghlal–Sepahan rivalry
- Major football rivalries
References
- ↑ "Sepahan wins Iran's Hazfi Cup in penalty shootout". payvand.com. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ↑ سپاهان صفر- پرسپولیس 1( یک چهارم نهایی جام حذفی 77-78)
- ↑ سپاهان صفر- پرسپولیس 1( یک چهارم نهایی جام حذفی 77-78)