Sepahan Isfahan has once again topped Iran’s professional soccer league by claiming the fifth 2014-15 Persian Gulf Pro League (IPL) title.
Sepahan beat Saipa Alborz 2-0 in the last station of the league on Friday (May 15) to top the table with 59 points ahead of Traktorsazi Tabriz and Naft Tehran, which leveled on 58 points to take second and third places, respectively, due to goal differences, IRNA reported.
It was a dramatic night for Traktorsazi, the most popular team among Iranian Azeri population, which saw its 3-1 lead against Naft leveled in late minutes of the match, failing to clinch its first ever title in Iran’s top-flight football competition.
The three top teams along with Zob-Ahan Isfahan qualified for the 2015-16 Asian Champions League.
Standing at 15th and 16th positions Peykan and Naft Masjid Soleiman were directly relegated to Iran’s lower league, known as First Division, while Esteghlal Khuzestan, the 14th team in the table, would face Mes Sarcheshme in the play-off to fight for a place in the next year’s round of Pro League.
Esteghlal and Perspolis, two giants from Tehran, failed to reap anything this time. The two teams, which finished 6th and 8th, respectively, faced off earlier in the day with Perspolis winning the prestigious derby 1-0.
