Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Baderan 5th with 56 points, Esteghlal Ahvaz 18th with 11, 45 apart. Baderan had been over-performing their table position on recent form: 1st in the league over the last five rounds against 5th overall. Against a league average of 1.01 goals per team per game, Esteghlal Ahvaz ran at 0.55 scored and 1.97 conceded, Baderan at 0.97 and 0.62.
Esteghlal Ahvaz had lost three in a row.
The venue was Ahvāz Takhti, with room for 51,000 spectators. On the scoreboard, it was 0-0 at the break; 1 second-half goal set the final 0-1.