With two minutes before the halftime, Persepolis midfielder Kamal Kamyabinia was forced to leave the field after receiving a straight red card.

Mehdi Torabi scored the sole goal of the match in the 66th minute from a tight angle in Tehran’s empty Azadi Stadium.

Persepolis took another step toward their fourth successive title.

Also, struggling Paykan beat Zob Ahan 4-1 in Isfahan and Tractor beat Sanat Naft 2-0 in Tabriz.

Persepolis leads the table with 53 points. Sepahan is second with 40 points with one game in hand. Tractor sits third with 40 points.