MNA, Iran
Midfielder Mehrzad Madanchi celebrated a shocking hat-trick, giving Persepolis a place in the League Cup quarterfinals with a 3-2 win over home team Abu Moslem in Thamen ul-A’emmeh Stadium in the northeastern capital Mashhad Tuesday.

The visitor took the lead after 14 minutes as a transformed Madanchi outpaced three markers before his 20-yard went in.

Abu Moslem keeper Mehdi Sabeti was forced to take the ball out of the net 20 minutes later when Madanchi’s 30-yard drive took a vicious deflection off the far post.

Midfielder Andranik Teymurian almost pulled one back eight minutes before the break, rattling the crossbar with a curling free-kick.

Striker Yunes Grayeli, however, came off the bench to make it 2-1, heading home in the 44th minute.

Home fans’ blood ran cold through Madanchi, whose powerful 35-yard shot hit Sabeti’s hand and crossbar two minutes into the second half.

However Persepolis supporters were silenced by supersub Grayely, who celebrated his double on 59 minutes. The striker evaded the offside trap, racing to a defense-splitting pass from partner Hossein Badamaki and beating keeper Mohammad Mohammadi in a one-on-one challenge.

But the Reds got the last laugh following a Sabeti blunder. Madanchi, who was in a dazzling form, unleashed a non-venomous drive that was saved by Sabeti, but the lackadaisical goalie surprisingly let the ball roll in with 19 minutes to go.

In the quarterfinals games, Persepolis entertains Malavan, the capital’s Esteqlal travels to Sari to meet Nojan, and the Isfahan-based Sepahan is host to Tractor Sazi.