Goal.com World Player of the Week #142: Eamon Zayed
Club: Persepolis
Country: Libya
Age: 28
Role: Striker
Achievement: Scored a hat-trick in the Tehran Derby

When Esteghlal raced to a 2-0 lead against Persepolis before the hour mark, it seemed that the Tehran derby was over as a contest. Things went from bad to worse for visiting Persepolis when Merhdad Oladi was given his marching orders on 68 minutes.

But then came the sensational fightback spearheaded by a certain Eamon Zayed. The Dublin-born Libya striker halved the deficit in the 82nd minute after coming on as a substitute and restored parity a couple of minutes later.

Then in the dying moments of injury time the 28-year-old got past two Esteghlal defenders and shot home from close range, wrapping up a stupendous 3-2 comeback victory for 10-man Persepolis.

Zayed, formerly at Derry City, joined Persepolis only in December but he seems to have already made himself a hero at the Iranian giants.

Congratulations to Eamon Zayed, Goal.com's 142nd World Player of the Week!


Honourable Mentions

Fabio Borini - Roma

Fabio Borini was the star of the show at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday as Roma got the better of Inter 4-0 in Serie A. The 20-year-old striker scored two goals, one in each half, and was a handful for the Nerazzurri defence throughout.

Didier Drogba - Cote d'Ivoire

Didier Drogba scored two goals against Equatorial Guinea as Cote d'Ivoire won 3-0 against the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations co-hosts to reach the semi-finals of the competition. The Chelsea striker grabbed his first goal with a great finish after dribbling past two players before he added a second with a bullet header.

Theofanis Gekas - Samsunspor

Samsunspor striker Theofanis Gekas scored all three goals against Turkish giants Fenerbahce in their league game on Thursday, helping his side to a 3-1 comeback victory. He equalised from the penalty spot on 42 minutes and netted twice more in the second half.

Fernando Llorente - Athletic Bilbao

Fernando Llorente continued to bang in the goals for Athletic Bilbao both in the cup and in the league. The Spain international striker netted both goals in Athletic’s 2-1 triumph at Mirandes in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie in midweek and was on hand again against Espanyol to find the target in their 3-3 draw at San Mames.

Fabrizio Miccoli - Palermo

Fabrizio Miccoli has been involved in all of Palermo’s last 10 goals, either scoring himself or creating them for his team-mates. Last week the Italian forward netted thrice in the Rosanero’s 4-4 draw with Inter at San Siro and at the weekend he bagged one more goal as Palermo defeated Atalanta 2-1 at home.

Robin van Persie - Arsenal

Robin van Persie continued to maintain his goalscoring form for Arsenal as he netted a hat-trick in the Gunners’ 7-1 demolition of Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League at the Emirates. All his three finishes were simple but classy and he also provided a superb pass for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s first goal.