The Saba Sentinel
Squad30 Jan 2034
Rashed Mohamed breaks a bone — 137 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 137 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Squad30 Jan 2034
Saeid Noorafkan in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Saba this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market30 Jan 2034
Eyes on Ahmad Karimi again
The phone has started ringing about Ahmad Karimi again, and this time the name on the line is Malavan. Saba are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad30 Jan 2034
Mohammad Ali Kazemi stays put
“The easiest signature of my career.” Mohammad Ali Kazemi and Saba agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad30 Jan 2034
Saba lose Ehsan Rezaeian
23 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings30 Jan 2034
Nothing got past Ehsan Taremi
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 15 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings30 Jan 2034
Omid Yazdani runs at them all day
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match28 Jan 2034
Saba draw a blank against Malavan
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Malavan defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Market30 Jan 2034
The Omid Yazdani question follows Saba around
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Omid Yazdani’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
In brief
- Player ratings Nothing got past Saeid Pouraliganji
- Market Roham Mohammad Taghizadeh placed on the list
- Player ratings Ehsan Gholizadeh ran the game