- Spain goal: Costa (54')
- Iranian goal disallowed
- Next: Spain-Morocco, Portugal-Iran
Iran had an equalizer taken away via Video Assistant Referee and Spain picked up its first win of the 2018 World Cup with a 1-0 win in Kazan on Wednesday.
Diego Costa scored Spain’s goal, as La Furia Roja joined Portugal atop Group B on four points. Iran has three, while eliminated Morocco has yet to get a result.
Team Melli lost their chance to sit atop the group when Saeid Ezatolahi rebound was ruled to have come after an offside touch from a teammate.
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#MundialTelemundo Así lo narró 🎙@CopanAlvarez ¿Autogol o no? ¡La fortuna juega a favor de #ESP y tras un rebote en el área, @diegocosta abre el marcador frente a #IRN pic.twitter.com/itV8UmiuxR
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 20, 2018
Spain certainly had its chances in the first half hour, capped off by an attempted overhead kick from David Silva.
Man City’s 32-year-old attacker had a great deal of chances in the contest, and would see a deflected rip bound wide of the goal during three minutes of first half stoppag time.
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After Gerard Pique missed an in-tight chance to start the second half, Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made an outstanding punch save on Isco before punching away the rebound bid.
Iran found its first true chance of the match in the 53rd minute, with Karim Ansarifard lashing into a shot from 15 yards that tore into the outside of the goal.
It was moments later that Spain went ahead, Costa getting a goal when a clearance bounding off his shin and into the net.
Mehdi Taremi flicked a header wide of the goal, and Iran thought it had an equalizer through Saeid Ezatolahi only for VAR to step in and call offside on the previous Iranian to touch the ball.
It was off, but only just.
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#MundialTelemundo ¡Por unos momentos gritamos el gol! El VAR entró de nuevo en acción y anuló la anotación de #IRN sobre #ESP ¿Estuvo correcta la acción? pic.twitter.com/lRFo74swqI
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 20, 2018
Beiranvand was again on the scene for a 70th minute goal mouth scramble following a drawn-up corner kick by Spain.
Taremi pounded a header over the goal after a Vahid Amiri nutmeg of Pique led to a back post cross.