Malavan beat Zob Ahan 2:1 in the Persian Gulf Pro League's regular season round two on Tuesday. The hosts took the lead through B. Teymourian before Zob Ahan fought back to level, then the match turned on its head with a late red card and a last-gasp winner.
B. Teymourian opened the scoring in the 35th minute, giving Malavan something to hold onto at half-time. He came off the bench for Zob Ahan later, but by then the hosts were already in control of the momentum.
Zob Ahan pressed for an equaliser and found it through R. Marzban in the 72nd minute, just after P. Mokhtari picked up a booking. The visitors looked like they might salvage something from the visit.
Then everything shifted. In the 81st minute Malavan's defender received a yellow card followed immediately by a red, leaving the home side with ten men. The support of the fans could be called devoted, but that is an assessment, not a fact.
Malavan held their nerve despite being down to ten men. They threw bodies in the way, waiting for the visitors to make a mistake, and it came at the death. An unnamed player found space in the 89th minute to slot home the winner.
The result shifts the table slightly. Malavan sit 15th with four points from five games, while Zob Ahan remain 10th on six points. It is not much, but for Malavan it is a fourth straight point in four games, and that counts for something.
