2006 Hazfi Cup Final This rivalry started in 2006 when Sepahan and Persepolis contested the Hafzi Cup championship, Iranian football's second-most prestigious competition. After both teams drew 1–1 in the first leg in Tehran, the two sides returned to Esfahan's
Nagshe Jahan Stadium for the second leg, which would decide the champion. The game ended with a 1-1 draw even after extra time, which led to a penalty shootout, which led to a Sepahan winning the shootout 4-2.
2007 Hazfi Cup Semifinal Tthe two sides would meet again at the 2007
Hazfi Cup semifinal at the
Azadi Stadium. After 90 minutes of regular time, the score was 1-1, which led to an extra-time hat-trick by
Mahmoud Karimi, leading to Sepahan's 4-1 victory. Sepahan would go on to win the Hafzi Cup 4-0 on aggregate against
Saba Battery.
2008 IPL Championship Throughout the 2007–2008 Iran Pro League season, Persepolis, under new head coach
Afshin Ghotbi, were first in the league. The only significant title contender were Sepahan. In the middle of the season, Persepolis and Sepahan met at Esfahan's Fouladshahr Stadium. Sepahan won that game 2–1, handing Persepolis their first loss of the season. However, Sepahan would lose five points (reduced to three on an appeal) due to fan violence. But Persepolis also lost six points due to inability to pay former players. All things considered, Sepahan had a two-point lead over Persepolis at the top going into the last week of the season. As fate would have it, the two teams would meet on the last day of the season in front 100,000 raucous fans in Azadi Stadium. Sepahan needed only a point to be crowned champs, while nothing less than a victory would do for the red giants. Persepolis got off to a dream start with a goal in the 18th minute from the league's top goalscorer,
Mohsen Khalili. Khalili would also go on to hit the post and Persepolis was also denied a penalty kick on a controversial non-call by referee
Saeed Mozafarri. Those misses would prove to be costly as 18-year-old sensation
Ehsan Hajisafi would tie the game on a breakaway in the 30th minute. At halftime, it remained 1–1, and Sepahan was just 45 minutes away from breaking the reds' hearts once more. Throughout the second half, it was all one-way traffic as Ghotbi's men put four strikers upfront against Sepahan's defense, which still stood strong for almost the entire second half and did not allow Persepolis to get the imperative goal they needed. After 90 minutes plus five minutes of stoppage time, the score was still the same, and Sepahan was getting ready to celebrate. But this time, luck would shift Persepolis' way. A Khalili free kick bounced at the feet of
Karim Bagheri. Bagheri's experience would take over from there, as he sent a high cross to
Sepehr Heidari who headed the ball in the back of the net in the 96th minute, giving Persepolis the championship, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Heidari's goal earned him a spot in Persepolis lore and proved to be a historic and memorable moment in team history.
2009 Hazfi Cup Round of 16 The two teams would meet at the Azadi Stadium again, this time in the Round of 16 of the Hazfi Cup. This time, however, both teams had been through a very lackluster season as they both changed coaches twice during the regular season. Sepahan and Persepolis finished 4th and 5th respectively in the IPL, which meant a very underachieving season for both teams. Persepolis would take an early lead on a 12th minute cracker by
Maziar Zare. Since then, the game became more lively as both teams created numerous chances. Zare also missed a golden opportunity to double his goal tally and Persepolis' lead after missing a penalty kick. In second half stoppage time, Sepahan captain
Moharram Navidkia also squandered a tailor-made opportunity by firing over the bar from just a few yards out. Persepolis would go on to the quarterfinals, where they went down 2–1 to Pas Hamedan. The aftermath of this game was very ironic in the sense that Sepahan, despite crashing out of the Hazfi Cup, would still qualify for the AFC Champions League because neighbors Zob Ahan, who finished second (among the top three) in the IPL, won the Hazfi Cup, which gave 4th placed Sepahan qualification to the AFC Champions League. Persepolis, however, had nothing to show for their efforts after having a more expensive squad than last season, when they won the IPL.
2013 Hazfi Cup Final The
2013 Hazfi Cup Final 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. After failed to agree on a venue between Ahvaz, Mashhad and Tabriz, final venue was decided with draw which
Azadi Stadium was announced as the venue for the 2013 final. The two teams finished 1–1 in regular time and 2–2 after extra-time. The game went to penalties and Sepahan defeated Persepolis 4–2 in the penalty shootout. ==Iranian League==