ZOB Ahan — Mes Shahr-e Babak: 1:1, Persian Gulf Pro League

Zob Ahan and Mes Shahre Babak played out a 1:1 draw in the Persian Gulf Pro League's third round on Sunday. The hosts took the lead before losing their man, and the visitors fought back to salvage a point away from home.

A. Ghaderi was shown a red card in the tenth minute, leaving Zob Ahan short of a player for the first half. They were reduced to ten men early, and that shaped how the game unfolded. Mes Shahre Babak pressed forward, hoping to exploit the numerical advantage.

It was A. Hosseinifar who broke the deadlock in the 46th minute with an own goal, putting Zob Ahan ahead despite being a man down. The visitors camped in the final third looking for an equaliser, and S. Karimi found the net in the 79th minute to level things.

Zob Ahan finished with one red card and no yellows, while the visitors kept their discipline throughout. The statistics are sparse for this fixture, but the red card tells you everything about how the match shifted.

Zob Ahan sit 10th with six points from five games, one win and three draws. Mes Shahre Babak remain 16th on three points from four matches, still searching for their first victory of the campaign.