Aluminium Arak and Heybar-Khorramabad Share Points in Stalemate
Aluminium Arak played host to Heybar-Khorramabad on Thursday evening in the Persian Gulf Pro League, and the match ended 2:2 after a back-and-forth contest. To be fair, the result reflected a game where both sides created chances but couldn't quite secure an advantage. The hosts had looked comfortable after taking the lead, while the visitors showed resilience to come back from behind.
I. Moradi gave Aluminium Arak the early advantage in the fifteenth minute, and here's the thing — it should have been enough. But S. Bozorg equalised from the penalty spot just before half-time, and by then the momentum had shifted. A. Ghanbari restored the home side's lead in the forty-ninth minute before E. Ghahremani dragged the visitors level with a late strike in the eighty-first minute.
The manager made three changes at the hour mark, bringing on B. Goudarzi, A. M. Khanzadi and F. Mohammadimehr in one move. A. Nouri picked up a yellow card in the seventieth minute, and that was the only disciplinary incident of note. Heybar-Khorramabad made more changes in the closing stages, bringing on A. Ghanbari, S. Bozorg, M. Ghanbari and A. Kahrizi to try and find a winner.
After the match, Aluminium Arak sat fourth on eight points from four games — two wins and two draws. Heybar-Khorramabad remained twelfth with three points from three draws and a defeat. The hosts had won their previous match 2:1 against Shams Azar Kazvin, while the visitors had lost 2:3 to Paykan in their last outing.
Both teams had avoided red cards, which kept things clean at the back. It was a result that kept the hosts unbeaten but did little to separate them from the middle of the table. For Heybar-Khorramabad, the draw extended their struggle to find their first victory of the campaign.