Iran have stolen a vital last-second win, and only their second win in World Cup history, after a 95th-minute own goal by Moroccan defender Aziz Bouhaddouz gave the Asian nation an amazing first up victory.
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The final result finishing in favour of the Iranians, 1-nil.
The St Petersburg Stadium was on fire in the first half, as a rampant Morocco attacked at will, but were unable to breakdown a defence that had not conceded a world cup qualification goal in over ten matches.
Morocco held the ball with ease at times, and moved the ball with lightning pace on both flanks, as they attacked Iran as hard as they could muster. Nourredine Amrabat in particular was a menace for Iran, as he charged the right wing, getting the ball continuously into dangerous areas.
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In the 19th minute, Morocco had their best chance of the half, as a goal mouth scramble saw Iranian keeper Ali Beiranvand make a reflex save, before his defence came to his assistance to maintain Iran’s clean sheet. This would prove to be something of a turning point for Morocco, who shortly after ran out of puff.
Once the Morocco pressure was relieved, Iran had their own chances in the first half, to the point that Iran should have taken the lead, when on the counter, Iran drew the double save from the Moroccan keeper, and a pulsating first half finished nil-all, but a high expectation of more.
That expectation was never met in the second half, as both teams seemingly accepted the fate of taking a point away from the game, and while Morocco had the lions’ share of possession (over 60 per cent), they could not make it work in their favour, the best chance of the half falling to Hakim Ziyach, who rocketed a shot from outside the area, demanding a great save from Beiranvand.
Morocco would regret their missed chances.
Instead, it would be heartbreak for the African nation, as unlucky defender Aziz Bouhaddouz headed a last minute free kick into his own net, to give Iran the win. So late was the goal, there was only time to re-start, and kick the ball to the Iran keeper, before the referee blew full-time.
An interesting affair in St Petersburg, and a game of two halves. While Iran statistically were the inferior team, they have shown the age-old adage continues to ring true, in that the only statistic that matters is the scoreboard, and on this occasion, Iran have the statistic that matters: a goal.
With both teams to face off against powerhouses Spain and Portugal, Morocco will face an uphill battle to get to the knockout stage, while Iran will hope to ride their luck into the last 16.
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