MohammadReza Khalatbary inspired Sepahan , defeated Gostarish Foolad Tabriz 4-1 to regain the leadership of the Persian Gulf League. Khalatbary helped himself to a hat trick beginning from the first few seconds of the match with less than a minute played when he scored from an acute angle after easily dribbling past two defenders to hammer the ball in the roof of the net.
Khalatbary scored his second with a lovely taken free kick immaculately sent to the furthest end from the hapless Gostarish goalkeeper.
In the second half, a bit of the old trickery and juggling by Khalatbary , lead to a foul on him in the penalty area. There was no doubt who was going to take the spot kick. Hadi Aghili, Sepahan’s Captain is the regular penalty taker, but a bit of a pleading by Khalatbary and a bit of common sense , gave the left footed winger his chance to complete his hat trick . Khalatbary, obliged and chipped the ball while wrong footing Gostarish keeper.
It was a 5 star performance from Khalatbary who played a major role in Sepahan offensive onslaught on the team from Tabriz. Such inspiring performance augured well for Sepahan and Hossein Faraki in their quest to win the title once again. With Khalatbary at his best, it is difficult to see any defender catching up with him. The only black mark on this performance today was his temperament. The player has yet to learn from years of playing professional football and can be easily intimidated by the opposing team if they elect to play dirty against him.
Khalatbary , who was controversially omitted from Team Melli final list to the FIFA World Cup 2014 and never picked up after it again , played with grit and determination as he was on a mission. It was nothing but marvelous. He has also sent a clear message to Team Melli and Queiroz. With such a sterling performance, Khalatbary does not need to go to the media , shed tears, claims injustice , claim he is been robbed of his rightful place in Team Melli. The Sepahan winger did it in style and by letting his goals and performance do the talking. As luck has it, good old Carlos Queiroz was not in the Fooladshahr Stadium to witness the magic of Khalatbary.
In the post match press conference, Khalatbary was asked about the allegation on Kranjcar and his alcohol consumption. , he responded by saying ” I have the highest respect for this man. As a person and as a professional. I categorically reject any such accusations against him. I have no idea who initiated such rumors, but I can assure you that it was none of Sepahan players or staff because we simply did not notice these alleged violation and consumption of alcohol. It is a shame when people resort to such dirty tricks against others, I feel sorry for those who tarnish the image of a genuine man”“
Mohammdreza Khalatbary’s performance against Gostraish , was a breath of fresh for the disappointing Iranian football which has little to cheer about nowadays.
A special mention has to go to Ehsan Hajsafy. His performance and adaptability, surge of speed, shooting and crossing was a mark of a great player in the making. No doubt , Hajsfay is on the radar of many top teams in Europe.
