Spain lucky to escape with 1-0 victory over Iran

MOSCOW — By any statistical measure, Spain dominated Iran in Kazan Wednesday night (June 20). Spain controlled 78 per cent of possession. Spain took 18 shots to Iran's seven, five on target to Iran's zero. Spain took three times as many corner kicks as Iran.

Yet when the referee blew his whistle to seal Spain's 1-0 victory, the all-world Spanish players must have breathed an enormous sigh of relief. Iranian players collapsed onto the turf all around them, disconsolate at not earning at least a draw.

The teams' game plans were unsurprising to anybody who has watched Spain this decade, or saw Iran's dreadful and undeserved victory over Morocco in their first game. Iran sat back, frequently putting all 11 men behind the ball, and Spain continually probed for a breakthrough.

It would not come in the first half, which is a credit to Iran's defence. There were frantic clearances on balls into burly Spanish forward Diego Costa, but mostly Iran's defence was compact and organised, snuffing out attacks before they began. Manchester City midfielder David Silva had Spain's best chances, as he was able to wriggle free and unleash a few shots. Spain had just one shot on frame in the first half.

But the dam couldn't hold forever, and cruelly, Iran was the author of its own demise. In the 54th minute, Andres Iniesta slotted a ball through to Costa in the box, who tried to turn and get a shot off. Iranian centre back Majid Hosseini got to the ball first, but his attempted clearance ricocheted off Costa's knee and past a helpless Alireza Beiranvand.

Iran Manager Carlos Queiroz, who led Real Madrid in the early 2000s, had a choice to make. Iran could open up and chase the game, hoping to find an equalizer against a Spanish defence it had barely troubled all game. Or Iran could sit back, avoid the goal differential killer of a blowout, maybe fluke their way into a goal, and hope for fortune on the final day of group stage play.

Queiroz made the brave choice, and the final half-hour of the game was an open, back-and-forth affair. Spain had plenty of opportunities for a second — at one point Costa and Gerard Pique repeatedly kicked a ball on the Iranian goal line, but were foiled by two Iranian defenders who all but fell on top of the ball — but were unable to convert.

For a brief moment, as Kazan Arena erupted all around them, it seemed that Iran would score. An Iranian free kick was headed off Saeid Ezatolahi, who corralled the loose ball and dispatched it into the back of the net. But after a review by the video assistant referee, Ezatolahi was correctly ruled offside.

Another near equalizer would have been one of the goals of the tournament. Skipping along parallel to the touchline, Vahid Amiri nutmegged Pique before floating a perfect cross toward the back post. Mehdi Taremi flew in and thumped the ball with his head, but it went over.

After two matches, it's hard to know what to think of either team. Iran has a stout defence, but the attack that had looked moribund against Morocco was dangerous when they finally went forward against Spain. Meanwhile, Spain would've soundly beaten Portugal if it weren't for Ronaldo's heroics, yet one of the tournament's favorites struggled to break down Iran.

Then again, that is how it has been for Spain since they won the European Championship in 2008. All but the strongest teams are afraid to commit attackers forward against them, and so Spanish matches are an exercise in waiting for them to unlock a defence.

On Wednesday night it wasn't tiki-taka, brilliant interplay or a satisfying one-two that won it for Spain — though at times all of those were on display — but Diego Costa's knee and a lucky bounce. Sometimes that's what you need. THE NEW YORK TIMES