Esteghlal back in 2006. Persepolis found themselves 2–0 down yet again and had Mehrdad Oladi very harshly sent off for what was seen as just a foul. Mazloumi and blues fans were beginning celebrations of yet another victory over their rivals as Persepolis fans began to leave the stadium when suddenly newly signed forward Eamon Zayed bagged a goal back for the reds in the 82nd minute. Persepolis were lifted by this goal and Zayed immediately connected with Mehdi Mahdavikia's excellent cross a minute later and levelled the score to 2–2 with a fine header. The last five minutes of the game was very open with Persepolis looking more lively and in the 92nd minute of the match, Hossein Badamaki's cross found Zayed yet again and the Libyan striker turned his defender and finished brilliantly to round off a historic hat-trick and great win for Persepolis and its fans. Persepolis 4 – Esteghlal 2 (April 15, 2016) – This derby was highly anticipated and vital for both teams as they were competing for the top spot in the Iran Pro League table. Persepolis came into this match with an excellent form and were regarded as favourites to win; however, Esteghlal was in 2nd place above their archrival on goal difference. In a highly entertaining and end-to-end game, the red-clad Persepolis netted twice in each half to beat the blue-shirted Esteghlal 4–2 in their 83rd derby in Tehran on a rainy Friday and be the new Iran Pro League table-topper in the 26th week. Esteghlal 3 – Persepolis 2 (February 2, 2017) – After five years of unbeaten derbies, Persepolis lost in a dramatic match. Persepolis had conceded only five goals in 20 previous league matches but in this game, Esteghlal scored three goals in the first half and shocked the Persepolis players and fans. The struggling match finished with a 3–2 result after several quarrels in which Mehdi Rahmati (Esteghlal goalkeeper) has been sent off by the referee. Statistics Matches Head to head As of 17 March 2022, there have been 98 competitive first-class meetings between the two teams since the first league meeting in 1969. In all 91 official competitive meetings since 1968, Esteghlal has won 23 and Persepolis 25. Trophies Records Biggest wins in official competitions Criteria: the winning team scored three goals or above with two or more goal difference from the defeated team. Persepolis Persepolis 4–1