Morocco 0-1 IR ran. Group B. FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 Extended All Match #chompions League #fifa
Group B, St. Petersburg (Krestovsky) Stadium, St. Petersburg
After a tortured and groggy 94 minutes in St. Petersburg, Iran’s offense awoke in added time to force a Morocco own goal, stealing a 1-0 victory in the teams’ World Cup opener.
Team Melli largely played on its back foot the entire match, thwarting Morocco’s mediocre offensive chances and relying on the counterattack. But none of those run-outs yielded any scoring, and Iran mustered two shots on goal for the entire contest.
But a late Moroccan foul gave Iran a free kick from the left wing four minutes into added time. A sweeping cross from Ehsan Hajsafi missed its target, Mehdi Torabi, but found the head of Atlas Lions’ forward Aziz Bouhaddouz. The shocking goal gave Iran just its second-ever World Cup win, and first since 1998.