SAINT PETERSBURG, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran won the second victory in its World Cup history here on Friday evening in a dramatic way, after Moroccan substitute Aziz Bouhaddouz headed the ball into his own net.
In what seemed to be one of only a few decent deliveries just one minute before conclusion of the match, Iran's Ehsan Haji Safi curled a last-moment free-kick, only to be met by the Moroccan forward, who dashed across to send the ball right into the gate.
That dreadful mistake, to the astonishment of more than 62,500 audiences in Saint Petersburg Stadium, put a seal on the first match in Group B, as well as Morocco's unbeaten record of 18 games.
It also sent Iran, which reached consecutive World Cups only for first time, one step closer to the knockout stage that they had never been to before.
In the two team's first encounter on the World Cup stage, the Atlas Lions enjoyed a comfortable start, dominating the pitch and controlling the tempo, while Iranian goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand impressed spectators with his heroic saves amid scramble.
Iran, on the other hand, gradually got better after the first 20 minutes. The best chance for them came several minutes before the break, when Sardar Azmoun fired close to scoring after dribbling past defenders.
The second half saw numerous stoppages of injuries and bickers.
A highlight came on the 79th minute, when Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyach received the ball from Younes Belhanda and hit a stinging effort. But Beiranvand was brisk enough to catch it.
Morocco, who have waited for 20 years to be qualified for the World Cup again, will be facing a grim situation, against the reigning European champion Portugal and 2010 World Cup winner Spain in the next two group matches. Enditem
