Novin Ahvaz played out a 2:2 draw with Shahin Bandar-Amiri in the third round of the Azadegan League on Sunday. The hosts took an early lead through R. Bigdeli before the visitors responded within minutes. Two quick goals from H. Golzari and O. Khalidi put Shahin ahead, but E. Heydari's strike on the half-hour mark earned Novin a point.
Bigdeli opened the scoring in the 11th minute, giving the home side their first advantage of the match. Shahin did not wait long to equalise, with Golzari finding the net in the 15th minute. Khalidi then restored the visitors' lead just six minutes later, making it 1:2. The momentum shifted before the break when Heydari headed home to level the score at 2:2.
Novin Ahvaz sit 12th in the table with one point from two matches — a winless record so far. Shahin occupy ninth place with two points from two games, also without a victory but unbeaten. Both sides have shown they can share points rather than decide fixtures.
The result extends Shahin's run of draws and keeps Novin from falling further behind in the standings. Neither team has taken maximum points yet, but the hosts will hope this performance signals improvement after their previous defeat. The draw leaves both sides searching for their first win of the campaign.