The Zob Ahan Chronicle
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Both of them Omid Latifi's — 8.83
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.83, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
No sign of nerves from Houman Elyasi at 20 — 7.96
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Houman Elyasi did not need any: 7.96, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Rahman Jafari signs on for more
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Rahman Jafari and Zob Ahan agree another 4 years.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Zob Ahan
Ehsan Pahlevan and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Boardroom3 Aug 2026
Graduation day at Zob Ahan
4 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Squad3 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Zob Ahan
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Saeid Karimi was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Door shut on Tiago Caballero
Zob Ahan asked and Olimpia said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The terraces3 Aug 2026
One of their own: Houman Elyasi
He is 20 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Match1 Aug 2026
Zob Ahan find a way past Esteghlal Khuzestan
Esteghlal Khuzestan made Zob Ahan work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
In brief
- Market Foolad join the queue for Hesam Nafari
- Market Zob Ahan promote Pejman Shojaei from within
- Market One of our own: Saman Torabi joins the Zob Ahan first team