Mes Shahrbabak and Malavan drew level on points after the visitors took all three at home on Sunday. The match ended 2:1 to Malavan in the sixth round of the Pro League of the Persian Gulf. It was the hosts' first defeat in five matches and the away side's first win since August.
E. Shahriari gave Mes Shahrbabak the lead just before the break, slotting in at 45+3 minutes. The home side had been hard to beat, drawing four of their previous five outings before Saturday's 0:4 hammering at Esteghlal. By then the momentum seemed to be shifting, and Malavan made the most of it.
A. Ramezani brought the away side level at 72 minutes, and A. Roustaei completed the turnaround eight minutes later. The goals came after a series of substitutions that changed the shape of the game. Mes Shahrbabak brought on A. Nesaei and replaced E. Shahriari himself in the 66th minute, but the move came too late.
The yellow card count told a simple story: two for the hosts against one for Malavan. F. Gerami and A. Afsordeh picked up bookings for Mes Shahrbabak, while M. Azhir was cautioned for the visitors. The disciplinary record didn't tell you much about the flow of the match, only that there were moments of friction.
The result leaves both sides level on four points after five games. Mes Shahrbabak remain 16th, while Malavan move to 15th. The hosts' four-match unbeaten streak is over, and the visitors have finally broken through in a season where they had won just once before Saturday.
