Paykan met Esteghlal Khuzestan in the fourth round of the Persian Gulf Pro League on Thursday, and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Neither side could find a way through the defence, and the result left both clubs with a single point each. The evening passed without a decisive moment, and the referee brought play to a close without adding further drama.
R. Shekari received the only card of the game when he was booked in the 34th minute. The home side made several changes in the second half, beginning with Shekari's replacement by A. Dehghan on 69 minutes. Further substitutions followed at 71, 81 and 90 minutes, with H. Bouhamdan completing the changes in stoppage time.
Paykan sit ninth in the table after four matches, with five points from one victory and two draws. The home side have shown enough to avoid trouble early in the campaign, though they still have work to do. To be fair, one loss against Tractor keeps them from climbing higher.
Esteghlal Khuzestan remain in sixteenth place on just two points from two draws and two defeats. The gap between them is three points, but the away side need to find consistency to climb away from the bottom. They had opened with a draw against Nassaji before suffering defeats to Persepolis and Aluminium Arak.
The 0-0 outcome means neither team gains ground on the other, and the table positions stay unchanged. Paykan move further from trouble, while Esteghlal Khuzestan face another difficult week ahead. By then, both managers will be looking at what could have been done better.