Kermanshah stalemate
Be Sat Kermanshah and Naft Gachsaran shared the spoils in the opening round of the Azadegan League, playing out a 0:0 draw on Tuesday. By then the summer fixtures had already shown both sides were still finding their feet, and nothing in this match suggested otherwise.
The hosts came in eighth on the table, the visitors eleventh, each with one game and one draw under their belts. Neither side picked up a yellow card, let alone a red, which tells you something about the temperament on display. To be fair, neither side was desperate to risk anything.
Be Sat's recent run reads like a parade of defeats: losses to Pars Junubi, Naft Bandar-Abbas, Fard Alborz, Ariou Eslamshahr and Havardar. Naft Gachsaran had their own share of results — a draw with Havardar, losses to Mes Shahre-Babak, Mes Sungun, Nassaji Mazandaran and Shenavarsazi Keshm, plus a heavy 2:4 defeat. This was their first chance to turn the page.
We had tipped a home win with 39 per cent confidence. And here's the thing — the match didn't break our way, and neither side looked like they were going to force it. Both sides threw bodies in the way, but neither carved the other open. The draw brought them together early.
So both sides sit on one point after one game. The gap between eighth and eleventh remains, and the table is still a long way from meaning anything real. If this pattern holds, the season could stretch on for a while.