Event | 2012–13 Hazfi Cup | ||||||
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Sepahan won 4–2 on penalties | |||||||
Date | 5 May 2013 | ||||||
Venue | Azadi Stadium, Tehran | ||||||
Man of the Match | Mohammad Reza Khalatbari | ||||||
Fans' Man of the Match | Omid Ebrahimi | ||||||
Referee | Alireza Faghani | ||||||
Attendance | 97,452 | ||||||
Weather | Partly Cloudy 22 °C (72 °F) 16% humidity |
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The 2013 Hazfi Cup Final was the 26th final since 1975. The match was the Iran's El-classico between Persepolis and Sepahan. This was the clubs' second meeting in the final where Sepahan won 4–2 over Persepolis in the penalties in 2006. The match was also the last match of Persepolis captain Mehdi Mahdavikia, a former Iran national football team and Hamburg SV midfielder. Sepahan won Persepolis for another time in penalties and crowned their 4th domestic cup title. Sepahan was qualified for the group stage of the 2014 AFC Champions League.
The tie was contested over one legs, simply to last edition. If the teams could still not be separated, then extra time would have been played with a penalty shootout (taking place if the teams were still level after that).
Persepolis's head coach Manuel José de Jesus was sacked ten days before Persepolis' first match in domestic cup campaign and his assistant and former captain Yahya Golmohammadi was appointed as the caretaker head coach. Golmohammadi's first match in charge occurred on the Round of 32, which they faced Malavan, match ends 6–0, same with Persepolis' best win over Esteghlal in Tehran derby in 1973. Persepolis also defeated another Iran Pro League side, Naft Tehran with their technicians coach Mansour Ebrahimzadeh 4–1. Persepolis faced Zob Ahan in quarter-finals and won the match 1–0 with a late goal from Mohammad Nouri in extra time. Their match with Damash Gilan was also ends 1–1 after extra time and Persepolis won that match in the penalties.