What a day of football it was. It was intense, exciting and we nearly had two unlikely winners. It ends in tears for Iran. Spain and Portugal just about scrape through. How many people would have thought that when the groups were announced?
Full-time: Spain 2-2 Morocco Tempers boil over once again but the referee blows the full-time whistle. Spain are the group toppers as Iran grab a late point at Saransk. They could have nearly won it. Here, it was Spain who came out of jail. They were once again lackluster going forward. Morocco deserved a win here but unfortunately, they finish at the bottom. With a little bit of luck and end product in the final third, they could have easily finished with three wins. Sadly, they have just one point.
Would you believe it? It was a legitimate goal says the referee after checking from multiple angles. Carvajal slipped in a gorgeous pass and Aspas side-footed it home. The drama simply refuses to relent at Kaliningrad.
90’ GOAL!! Spain 2-2 (Aspas)
89’ VAR taken! Offside called as it looked as it looked like Aspas had put his side in the lead. The referees are checj
We are witnessing extraordinary scenes here. En-Neysri, who just came on a few minutes ago, smashed a header into the roof of the net. Nothing De Gea could do about that. Ramos was outmuscled to the ball from a corner – not something you hear everyday.
GOAL!! SPAIN 1-2 MOROCCO (En-Nesyri)
79’ Crucial block from Pique off Ziyach in front of goal and it goes behind for a corner.
77’ We are still surprised at the discipline that both sets of players have shown in the second half. That being said, Iniesta is fouled near near the end of the centre circle.
75’ Morocco have a won a free kick on the right flank. The ball is easily dealt with by the Spanish defence. Finally, the men in white have a decent spell on the ball.
72’ Aspas and Asensio come on for Costa and Thiago. Hierro is clearly going for the winner.
69’ En Neysri comes on for Boutaib for Morocco. Once again, Iniesta relentlessly attacks the Iranian area, getting to the by-line with ease and cutting it back. There was noone there at the end of it.
67’ Thiago tries to get into the thick of things with a clever one-two. Once again, the end product is poor and the ball hits the stands.
62’ CLOSE! Spain keep on creating chances. Pique’s header from the resulting corner is only a few inches wide of the post. The Barcelona defender did superbly to leap above the Morocco defender and get a header in.
61’ MOROCCO SURVIVE! Saiss heads the ball clear off the goalline. Isco had an inspired couple of minutes, playing one-twos and being in the thick of things. His header, though, is cleared out in the nick of time by the Morocco defender.
59’ Tame free-kick by Isco as the ball bounces off the two-man wall.
58’ Spain once again impressing during the build-up but doing little else in the box. Spain now have a free-kick at the edge of the box following Amrabat’s push on Iniesta.
55’ OFF THE POST! What a strike by Amrabat! His shot from 25 yards out thundered off the post. De Gea stood flat-footed and was helpless as the ball cannoned off the frame of the goal.
54’ Elsewhere, Ronaldo has missed a penalty.
50’ Oh Spain, good old Spain. They are in no hurry to open Morocco up and are seeing a lot of the ball.
49’ Now, Morocco threaten as Belhanda tries to get to the end of a long ball. De Gea is alert and punches the ball clear.
47’ Spain are up and away. Space opened up for Isco on the right flank but Morocco get back in shape quickly. The ball circulates back in midfield.
It’s been feisty, fast, but certainly did not lack entertainment. Spain could have had the lead had they been a little more careful up front. De Gea made a stunning save against Boutaib, who carved the Spanish defence open on more than one occasion. Morocco have to watch their discipline. They have four players on a yellow.
Half-time: Spain 1-1 Morocco
45+1’ OOOOH! What a chance that was for Spain. It looked like Costa had put his side in the lead but it stays 1-1. Iniesta once again, was a livewire on the left flank. Yet again, he went to the by-line and pulled it back. Costa just had to nod the ball into the net. However, Morocco survive as the ball somehow eludes the Atletico striker.
45’ It’s edging towards the half-time whistle and Busquets and Amrabat are on the floor after a tangle of legs. At Saransk, Quaresma puts Portugal in the lead.
43’ Spain continue to flood forward in droves. For the first time, Jordi Alba comes alive in the game with a powerful run down the left flank.
At Saransk: “After sustained initial pressure by Portugal, Iran are now growing into the game and causing plenty of problems for Portugal at the back with their pace. This is turning into a fascinating encounter. Goalless so far with Ronaldo largely kept quiet,” says Vinayakk.
Catch the live updates of Iran vs Portugal here. It’s turning out to be a fascinating tactical battle.
38’ Spain have another free-kick from a promising position. Thiago was tripped from behind by Belhanda, who gets away with the warning from the referee. You can’t possibly get five red cards in a half, can you?
36’ OOH! So close. Busquets should have been doing better there. It was a good corner from Spain and the Barcelona midfielder had a clean shot on target in the box. His header, though, was well over the bar. A great chance for the Spaniards.
33’ With tensions boiling over between the two sides, the referee accidentally ends up pushing Boutaib near the Morocco box.
31’ Amramat and Da Costa also go into the book and Morocco are in serious danger here. They are surrounding the referee in numbers. The Africans have four players in on a yellow card.
What do you think
28’ The medical staff is on the field to for some treatment. Belhanda and Iniesta both make dangerous challenges and are on the floor. Spain need to be careful here. Morocco have also been temperamental so far.
24’ WHAT A SAVE from De Gea! That was the Manchester United goalkeeper at his very best. At point-blank range, Boutaib looked the favourite after running through on goal. Once again, Spain were cut open at the back. De Gea stood his ground, opened his body, and pulled off a stunning save.
23’ Morocco are in a bit of trouble as Spain are pushing forward in numbers. But wait....
21’ Morocco need to keep their head. El Ahmadi goes into the book for a bad clip on Busquets from the back. – Yellow
We have a cracker of a game on our hands. Iniesta atones for his earlier mistake by making a mazy run down the left and cutting it back for Isco, who controls it and rifles a powerful shot to the top corner. There is no stopping those! What a response from Spain.
20’ SPAIN 1-1 MOROCCO (ISCO)
What a finish that was. It’s a travesty that it took Morocco so long to find the net. There was some confusion at the backline involving Iniesta, Ramos and Pique. Boutaib pounced on it, made a surging run and put the ball between De Gea’s legs. Spain are in trouble!
15’ GOAL!! MOROCCO SCORE (BOUTAIB)
11’ Morocco continue to go forward and test the flanks but are not able to test De Gea so far. Spain still have a lion’s share of the possession.
8’ Well, well, this could be a controversial moment in the game. Pique flies in with a two-footed tackle on Boutaib. What do you think? Pique didn’t even get a yellow card.
5’ Almost two minutes of the referee trying to calm down the players after Amrabat clashes with Sergio Ramos. The two players have an eyeball to eyeball confrontation. Tempers fly!
3’ Now, Spain attack. Isco goes on a surging run down the left flank and his shot cum cross is calmly pouched by El Kajoui.
1’ Not a bad start for Morocco as Hakimi attacks down the left flank, beats Carvajal and sends in a cross. Unfortunately for him, it is nowhere close to a man.
The countdown to kick-off begins:
11:27 IST: 12 years ago, on this day, this happened. For the uninitiated, it’s called the battle of Nurenberg.
National anthems time. Nervous time.
The 2010 champions have won all their final group match each time since the 1986 World Cup
Fun fact: Spain are only four away from hitting a century of goals in the World Cup.
Morocco: El Kajoui, Hakimi, Da Cost, Saiss, Dirar, Ziyach, El Ahmadi, Belhanda, Boussoufa, N Amrabat, Boutaib
Starting line-ups
Spain first.
Spain XI vs Morocco: De Gea, Carvajal, Pique, Ramos, Alba, Busquets, Thiago, Silva, Iniesta, Isco, Costa.
Hello and welcome to the live updates of the Group B clash between Spain and Morocco. The Africans have already been knocked out of the competition. Spain, on the other hand have four points from two games. A loss would put a spanner in the works of the 2010 winners, who already got off to a stuttering start.
Coach Julen Lopetegui was sacked days before the tournament start. They were scratchy against Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliance stopped them from earning three points. Their win against Iran was a hard-fought one. Morocco showed plenty of oomph going forward in their losses to the Iranians and Portugal. They played their hearts out against the European Champions and deserved to get a point from the game.
Spain crashed out in spectacular fashion in the group stage four years ago in Brazil but are on course to reach the knockout phase. New coach Fernando Hierro promised they would not underestimate a North African side playing for pride. “We can’t afford to relax... We need to be awake with our eyes open and be aware that Morocco aren’t going to give anything away,” warned Hierro.