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The two most revered Iranian football teams, Esteqlal and Persepolis, drew 1-1 tie in their 56th derby at Tehran`s Azadi Football Stadium, packed with 100,000 enthusiasts. [more photos here]

Half of the stadium went wild with applause and the other half
folded their red flags for three whole minutes after the kick off when
the blue clad Esteqlal midfielder fired a low curling kick from
behind the penalty area past Persepolis` foreign keeper, Sasha Ilich.
Only 17 minutes later, the reds, not willing to be outdone,
seized the ball and filed, as their newly entered midfielder Hamed
Kavianpour unleashed a 25-meter unstoppable shot, kissing the right
corner of Esteqlal goal keeper, Parviz Boroumand`s net.

Both sides rued to the scoring chances in the second half. Esteqlal could celebrate its second in 67th minute of the game, but striker Ali Samereh who had received a superb pass form Reza Enayati squandered the chance and his drilled ball was palmed by Ilich.

Thus, Esteqlal lies now in the second spot with its 38 points,
and Persepolis, which has collected 32 points, stands fourth