Persepolis F.C.–Sepahan S.C. rivalry
The rivalry between Persepolis and Sepahan is a footballing rivalry played between Iranian clubs Persepolis and Sepahan.
 | |
| Other names | Iran El Clasico |
|---|---|
| Locale |  Tehran, Iran Isfahan, Iran |
| Teams | Persepolis Football Club Sepahan Sport Club |
| First meeting | 1–2 Sepahan – Persepolis (11 February , 1972) |
| Latest meeting | 0–0 Persepolis – Sepahan (5 January, 2021) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 74 matches |
| Most wins | Persepolis (25) |
| Most player appearances | Moharram Navidkia (23) |
| Top scorer | Edmond Bezik (7) |
| Largest victory | Persepolis 6–0 Sepahan 1971–72 Local League (19 March, 1972) |
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 raucous 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 sensation 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.
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' goal | Sepahan's goal | Venue | Competition | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1972–Feb-11 | 2–1 | Hossein Kalani – Mahmoud Khordbin | Hamid Nadimian | Isfahan | Local League 2nd | |
| 2 | 1972–Mar-19 | 6–0 | Homayoun Behzadi 11', 55' – Asghar Adibi 3' – Ali Parvin 57' – Mahmoud Khordbin 64' – Reza Vatankhah 83' | – | Tehran | Local League 2nd | |
| 3 | 1974–75 | 1–0 | Ali Parvin | – | Isfahan | Takht Jamshid Cup 2nd | |
| 4 | 1974–75 | 3–0 | Mohammad Dastjerdi (2) – Safar Iranpak | – | Tehran | Takht Jamshid Cup 2nd | |
| 5 | 1975–76 | 1–0 | Esmaeil Haj Rahimipour | – | Tehran | Takht Jamshid Cup 3rd | |
| 6 | 1975–76 | 0–0 | – | – | Isfahan | Takht Jamshid Cup 3rd | |
| 7 | 1976–77 | 2–2 | Esmaeil Haj Rahimipour – Ali Parvin | ? – ? | Tehran | Takht Jamshid Cup 4th | |
| 8 | 1976–77 | 1–1 | Jahangir Fatahi | ? | Isfahan | Takht Jamshid Cup 4th | |
| 9 | 1977–78 | 3–0 | Mahmoud Khordbin – Safar Iranpak – Ali Parvin | – | Tehran | Takht Jamshid Cup 5th | |
| 10 | 1977–78 | 0–0 | – | – | Isfahan | Takht Jamshid Cup 5th | |
| 11 | 1989–90 | 1–1 | Morteza Kermani Moghaddam | Hossein Talakesh | Isfahan | Qods League | |
| 12 | 1989–90 | 3–0 | Reza Abedian – Rahim Yousefi – Karim Bavi | – | Tehran | Qods League | |
| 13 | 1991–92 | 3–0 | Nasser Mohammadkhani (2) – Mojtaba Moharrami | – | Tehran | Azadegan Cup 1st | |
| 14 | 1991–92 | 0–0 | – | – | Isfahan | Azadegan Cup 1st | |
| 15 | 1993–94 | 3–0 | Jamshid Shahmohammadi – Farshad Pious – Javad Manafi | – | Tehran | Azadegan Cup 3rd | |
| 16 | 1994-Jan-28 | 0–1 | – | Hamid Motahari 80' | Isfahan | Azadegan Cup 3rd | |
| 17 | 1995–96 | 1–1 | Hassan Shirmohammad | ? | Tehran | Azadegan Cup 5th | |
| 18 | 1995–96 | 1–1 | Behrouz Rahbarifar | Karim Ghanbari | Isfahan | Azadegan League 5th | |
| 19 | 1996–97 | 2–2 | Behrouz Rahbarifar – Edmond Bezik | Levon Stepanyan – Hamid Memarian | Tehran | Azadegan League 6th | |
| 20 | 1996–97 | 0–1 | – | Levon Stepanyan | Isfahan | Azadegan League 6th | |
| 21 | 1998–Oct-9 | 0–1 | – | Levon Stepanyan | Isfahan | Azadegan League 8th | |
| 22 | 1999–Feb-22 | 3–1 | Edmond Bezik (2) – Hamid Estili | Davoud Dehghani | Tehran | Azadegan League 8th | |
| 23 | 1999-May | 2–2 | Alireza Emamifar – Esmaeil Halali | Abdollah Veisi – Majid Basirat (p.) | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | Quarter-Final[2] |
| 24 | 1999-June | 1–0 | Edmond Bezik | – | Isfahan | Hazfi Cup | Quarter-Final[3] |
| 25 | 1999–Nov-20 | 0–0 | – | – | Isfahan | Azadegan League 9th | |
| 26 | 2000–Apr-28 | 1–0 | Behnam Seraj 31' | - | Tehran | Azadegan League 9th | |
| 27 | 2000–Dec-23 | 0–0 | – | – | Isfahan | Azadegan League 10th | |
| 28 | 2001–Apr-19 | 0–2 | – | Seyyed Amin Mousavi 67', 86' | Tabriz | Azadegan League 10th | |
| 29 | 2001–Nov-23 | 0–0 | - | - | Isfahan | IPL 1st | |
| 30 | 2002–Mar-17 | 3–2 | Behrouz Rahbarifar 23'(p.) – Amirhossein Aslanian 86' – Behnam Abolghasempour 90+3' | Levon 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' | Asghar Talebnasab 37' - Edmond 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–Apr-21 | 0–2 | – | Rasoul Khatibi 69' – Jaba Mujiri 85' | Isfahan | IPL 5th | |
| 39 | 2006–Sep-13 | 1–1 | Alireza Vahedi Nikbakht 48' | Hamid Shafiei 73' | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | Final |
| 40 | 2006-Sep-22 | 1–1 (2–4) Pen. | Ebrahim Asadi 55' | Hamid Shafiei 64' | Isfahan | Hazfi Cup | Final |
| 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 (a.e.t) | Farzad Ashoobi 64'(p.) | Hadi Aghili 86'(p.) – Mahmoud Karimi 108', 111', 117' | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | Semi-Final |
| 44 | 2007–Dec-31 | 1–2 | Abbas Aghaei 80' | Mohammad Nosrati 36'(o.g.) – 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–Apr-30 | 1–0 | Maziar Zare 12' | – | Tehran | Hazfi Cup | 1/8 |
| 49 | 2009-Nov-28 | 1–2 | Sepehr Heidari 65' | Ibrahima 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 Fraga 31' | Ibrahima Touré 41' – Hadi Aghili 66'(p.) – Khosro Heydari 73' – Reza Enayati 86' | Tehran | IPL 10th | |
| 52 | 2011–May-15 | 0–0 | – | – | Isfahan | IPL 10th | |
| 53 | 2011–May-29 | 0–0 (4–2) Pen. | – | – | 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 90+2' | – | Tehran | IPL 12th | |
| 58 | 2013-May-05 | 2–2 (2–4) Pen. | 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'(o.g.) – Hadi Aghili 56'(p.) – Mohammadreza Khalatbari 82' | Isfahan | IPL 15th | |
| 64 | 2016-Feb-02 | 2–2 | Ali Alipour 50' – Kamal Kamyabinia 75' | Fozil Musaev 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 | 2017-Feb-18 | 2–1 | Mehdi Taremi 56'(p.) – Ramin Rezaeian 87'(p.) | Taleb Reykani 80'(p.) | Tehran | IPL 16th | |
| 67 | 2017-Sep-21 | 2–2 | Mehdi Taremi 39'(p.) – Ali Alipour 74' | Marwan Hussein 61' – Jalaleddin Alimohammadi 87– | Isfahan | IPL 17th | |
| 68 | 2018-Feb-3 | 2–0 | Ali Alipour 10' – Shoja' Khalilzadeh 68' | – | Tehran | IPL 17th | |
| 69 | 2018-Dec-09 | 1–1 | Ali Alipour 89'(p.) | Ezzatollah Pourghaz 74' | Isfahan | IPL 18th | |
| 70 | 2019-Apr-26 | 0–0 | – | – | Tehran | IPL 18th | |
| 71 | 2019-May-29 | 1–0 (a.e.t) | Siavash Yazdani 120+1'(o.g.) | – | Isfahan | Hazfi Cup | Semi-Final |
| 72 | 2019-Sep-26 | 0–2 | – | Kiros Stanlley 81' – Mohammad Mohebi 85' | Tehran | IPL 19th | |
| 73 | 2020-Feb-23 | 3–0 (awarded) | – | – | Isfahan | IPL 19th | [4] |
| 74 | 2021-Jan-05 | 0–0 | – | – | Tehran | IPL 20th |
Summary of results
| Apps | Persepolis wins | Draws | Sepahan wins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League (before IPL) | 26 | 11 | 11 | 4 |
| IPL | 39 | 11 | 15 | 13 |
| Hazfi Cup | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Total | 74 | 25 | 31 | 18 |
| Position | Teams | Matches | Wins | Draws | Loses | Goals For |
Goals Against |
Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Sepahan | 74 | 18 | 31 | 25 | 75 | 90 | –15 |
Trophies
| Team | Domestic | International | Grand Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iranian League | Hazfi Cup | Super Cup | Domestic Total | AFC Champions League | Asian Cup Winners' Cup | International Total | ||
| Persepolis | 13 | 6 | 3 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
| Sepahan | 5 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Goal scorers
- Players in Italic are still active in football playing.
- Players in bold are still active for Persepolis or Sepahan.
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}
League = "Iranian League" ; Cup = "Hazfi Cup"
1 Bezik scored 4 goals as the Persepolis player and 3 goals as the Sepahan player.
|
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Hat-tricks
A hat-trick is achieved when the same player scores three or more goals in one match. Listed in chronological order.
| Sequence |
Player | No. of goals |
Time of goals | Representing | Final score |
Opponent | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mahmoud Karimi Sibaki | 3 | 108', 111', 117' | Sepahan | 4–1 | Persepolis | 2006–07 Hazfi Cup |
Most successful coaches
- Coaches in bold are still active for Persepolis or Sepahan.
| Rank | Head coach | Club | Matches | Win | Draw | Lost | Winning rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Parvin |
Persepolis | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 35% |
| 2 |  Alan Rogers |
Persepolis | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| 3 |  Branko Ivanković |
Persepolis | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 40% |
| 4 | Hossein Faraki |
Sepahan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| 5 | Amir Ghalenoei |
Sepahan | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 30% |
| 6 |  Edson Tavares |
Sepahan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% |
| 7 |  Afshin Ghotbi |
Persepolis | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66% |
| 8 | Yahya Golmohammadi |
Persepolis | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50% |
| 9 | Luka Bonačić |
Sepahan | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 33% |
Notable matches
- Persepolis 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
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)
- "Disciplinary Committee declared verdict of Sepahan vs. Persepolis match/Persepolis' win and Sepahan's heavy punishment". tasnimnews.com. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2020.