June 17, 2022
The Esteghlal soccer club has come out on top of the Iranian professional soccer league this season for the first time in nine years, and did it very impressively, finishing without a single loss, a first in the history of Iranian soccer.
Esteghlal finished the season with a record of 19 wins, 11 draws and no losses, giving it 68 points and putting it well ahead of its crosstown rivals, Persepolis, which finished in second place with 17 wins, nine draws and 3 losses for a total of 60 points.
Esteghlal’s 68 points is also a record, surpassing the previous 67-point record held by Persepolis.
And, on defense, Esteghlal conceded only 10 goals in its 15 games this season.
The Reds (Persepolis) and the Blues (Esteghlal), both based in Tehran, have the greatest rivalry in the sport in Iran, but Persepolis had won the title for the five previous years and holds the most Persian Gulf Pro League titles, seven, to five for Sepahan of Esfahan and now four for Esteghlal.
Esteghlal won the title under coach Farhad Majidi, who was the team captain in 2012-13, when the team last won the title.
Meanwhile, the two bottom teams in the 16-team league, Fajr Sepasi of Shiraz and Shahr Khodro or Padideh of Mashhad, have been relegated to the next league down, Azadegan. Each of those teams managed only two wins against 11 draws and 17 losses, ending up with 17 points.
This means the second most populous city in Iran, Mashhad, and the fifth most populous, Shiraz, will have no team in the Persian Gulf Pro League next season.
The top two teams in the Azadegan League are now promoted to the Persian Gulf Pro League. They are Mes Kerman and Malavan Bandar Anzali. Malavan returns to the top league after six years and Mes after eight years in the lower league.
