ESFAHAN, Iran (Jan. 28, 2026) (Interstat) — Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Novin and Gol Gohar Sirjan FC opened their Persian Gulf Pro League seasons with a 1-1 draw Wednesday at Naghsh-e-Jahan Stadium. The result defied a pre-match projection that heavily favored the hosts. Gol Gohar’s Amir Jafari opened the scoring in the 35th minute. Foolad’s Kaveh Rezaei equalized in the 57th minute, securing a share of the points. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 1-0 win for Foolad, which its ELO system gave a 67% probability to win. Both clubs begin the domestic campaign with a draw.