SportsWorld Cup

Actions

Iran edges Morocco late on own goal

Iran edges Morocco late on own goal
Posted at 1:14 PM, Jun 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-15 13:14:13-04

MOSCOW (AP) - Aziz Bouhaddouz headed a free kick into his own net in the fifth minute of injury time to gift Iran a 1-0 win over Morocco at the World Cup on Friday.
    
Only on the field as a 77th-minute substitute, the Morocco striker dived to reach a curling cross from the left but wound up glancing a header past goalkeeper Monir El Kajoui.
    
There was an explosion of joy among the Iranian squad, with coaching staff and substitutes sprinting onto the field and jumping.
    
It was only Iran's second win in 13 matches at the World Cup and the first win for an Asian team in the tournament since 2010.
    
With Spain and Portugal the other teams in Group B, this was regarded as a must-win game in St. Petersburg for two of the tournament outsiders.