Costa Nets Lucky Winner As Euro Giants Spain Survive Iran Scare
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SPORT Thursday 21 June 2018 PAGEE | 19 PAGEPAG | 24 Senagal are prideide ofof RonRonaldoa earns edgy Africa after breakingaking PorPortugaltu win as continent’s losingg rurunn MMoroccooro crash out Costa nets lucky winner as Euro giants Spain survive Iran scare AFP Spain’s Diego Costa shoots at goal during the FIFA 2018 World Cup KAZAN: A lucky Diego Costa’s Group B match against Iran at goal handed World Cup the Kazan Arena in Kazan, Russia hopefuls Spain their first win of yesterday. Spain beat Iran 1-0. the World Cup although dogged Iran came close to causing a major upset yesterday. The victory in Kazan puts the 2010 winners on course for the last 16. Costa, who scored twice in a 3-3 opening draw with Por- tugal in Sochi, courted contro- versy early in the Group B encounter when he stepped on the toes of Iran ‘keeper Ali Bei- ranvand as he waited to kick the ball out. His gesture went unpun- ished, and the Atletico Madrid striker required another stroke of luck on 54th minute when his shot came off Ramin Rezaeian to beat Beiranvand after he had been sent through by Andres Iniesta. The entire Iranian bench poured onto the pitch when Saeid Ezatolahi fired an equaliser for the Lions of Persia just before the hour. But the thousands of Iranian supporters that filled the sta- diuum with the sound of pitch looking rather red-faced. Carlos Queiroz’s men coming Spain, however, were still vuvuzelas throughout were left Costa got so frustrated with close in the final minutes when flattering to deceive. disappointed when it was ruled Iran’s defensive tactics that he midfielder Mehdi Taremi headed On a rare counter goal- out for offside. approached Beiranvand and just over. keeper David De Gea was left Spain coach Fernando Hierro provocatively stepped on his Shortly after the restart an irate when Taremi rose to head welcomed Real Madrid’s Dani toes, leaving the ‘keeper in Isco corner was flicked on by a metre wide. Carvajal back into the starting visible pain. Costa to Gerard Pique but his Moments later, the stadium line-up following his recovery It went unpunished by Uru- effort was cleared off the line. erupted when Ezatolahi fired from a hamstring injury suffered guayan referee Cunha, who had Sergio Busquets’ drive from through a packed Spain area to in the Champions League final awarded France a historic first 20 yards was then parried by beat De Gea but the assistant win over Liverpool. VAR-assisted penalty that saw Beiranvand, who palmed the referee’s flag was up. With Lucas Vazquez Antoine Griezmann score Les rebound away before Lucas In the final quarter hour replacing Atletico Madrid mid- Bleus’ opener in a 2-1 win over Vazquez could pounce. Iran battled for a late fielder Koke, it gave La Roja a Australia. Some great vision from equaliser, but after Vahid Amiri distinctively Real Madrid feel. Spain resumed in more pos- Iniesta, and a slice of luck, showed class to nutmeg Pique By the end of a pulsating itive fashion after the break, however broke Iranian hearts deep on the left and fire over opening half in which Iran’s Beiranvand forced to produce when Costa spun and latched an inviting cross, Taremi’s defence thwarted the few real heroics twice in the space of on to the ball before seeing his thundering header flew just chances La Roja were able to four minutes. shot rebound off Ramin over the bar as a relieved De Spain’s Diego Costa celebrates after scoring their winning create, Hierro’s men left the But Iran refused to buckle, Rezaeian and into the net. Gea looked on. goal. Spanish players YESTERDAY'S RESULTS celebrate after Diego Costa GROUP B PORTUGAL 1-0 MOROCCO scored their winning goal GROUP A against Iran URUGUAY 1-0 SAUDI ARABIA yesterday. GROUP B SPAIN IRAN IRAN 0-1 SPAIN 1 0 TODAY'S FIXTURES GROUP C DENMARK vs AUSTRALIA DIEGO COSTA - 54' 3.00PM GROUP C FRANCE vs PERU 6.00PM GROUP D ARGENTINA vs CROATIA 9.00PM 18 SPORT THURSDAY 21 JUNE 2018 Uruguay and Russia in knockout phase AFP The Saudis managed to have plenty of early possession, although without MOSCOW: Uruguay booked their place looking overly threatening, only to gift in the World Cup knockout stage along Uruguay a 23rd-minute lead. with Russia yesterday, as Luis Suarez Al-Owais -- winning only his second scored the winner on his 100th inter- cap after replacing Abdullah Al- national appearance in a 1-0 victory Muaiouf in goal -- completely missed over Saudi Arabia in Rostov-on-Don. a floated Carlos Sanchez corner and The South Americans take on the Suarez tapped in his 52nd international hosts in their final Group A match on goal unmarked at the back post. June 25 with top spot on the line, while That strike was Suarez’s sixth Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been World Cup goal and made him the first eliminated after both suffered back- Uruguayan to score in three separate to-back defeats. finals. Russia and Uruguay will face one “The goal was special because I of the top two from Group B in the last wanted to make up for the other day 16 -- either Portugal, Spain or Iran. against Egypt,” said Suarez. The 31-year-old Suarez, whose pre- Juan Antonio Pizzi’s Saudi Arabia vious two World Cups both ended in continued to look far more assured on bans after his infamous 2010 handball the ball than they did in the 5-0 against Ghana and bite on Italy’s drubbing by Russia on the opening day Giorgio Chiellini four years later, took of the tournament, with Hatan Bahbri advantage of a goalkeeping error by firing a wild volley over shortly after Mohammed Al-Owais to put Uruguay seeing a long-range effort tipped away ahead midway through the first half. by Fernando Muslera. Oscar Tabarez’s side missed plenty Uruguay began the second period of opportunities to add further goals, with greater purpose, and Suarez went but a toothless Saudi outfit never seri- close to a second when Al-Owais ously looked like snatching a point. palmed clear his low free-kick. “His sense of responsibility is The three points and a last-16 spot remarkable,” said Tabarez of Suarez. should have been wrapped up just “He assumes the pressure which after the hour mark, but Sanchez he lives under and it gives him a unique headed over when unmarked at the character. Even when he doesn’t play back post from a wonderful Edinson well, he always believes he can make Cavani cross. a contribution for the team.” The South Americans continued to Uruguay, semi-finalists eight years be wasteful in front of goal, as Martin ago in South Africa, have now reached Caceres sent a header flying off target the knockout stage for the third from the 33-year-old Sanchez’s straight time, while Saudi Arabia will free-kick. try again in their search for a first Paris Saint-Germain striker Cavani World Cup win since 1994 in their final came close to emulating Suarez by game against Mohamed Salah’s Egypt. scoring in a third World Cup, but his Suarez made a bright start, looking low shot was smothered by the Uruguay’s forward Luis Suarez celebrates after scoring to make amends for his poor per- onrushing Al-Owais. SAUDI ARABIA URUGUAY during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group A match formance in the opening 1-0 win Uruguay showed all their know- against Saudi Arabia at the Rostov Arena in Rostov- against Egypt, firing a left-footed how and experience, though, as On-Don yesterday. volley from Cristian Rodriguez’s Atletico Madrid defensive pair Jose 0 1 knockdown that was blocked by Ali Gimenez and Diego Godin helped see Al-Bulayhi. out the closing moments with ease. SUAREZ - 23' Player union blasts concussion management AP about the importance of proper examined both by the team treatment, which is why I was doctor and an independent MOSCOW: The impact to his surprised at seeing the behavior neuro-trauma expert approved head was so violent that Nordin on the touchline,” FIFA medical by the league. Amrabat can’t remember the chief Michel D’Hooghe said The team doctor decides World Cup match at all, even yesterday. whether a player suffered a con- though he was playing in it. “We wrote to them after that cussion, with consultation from the “Five, six hours, gone. Totally to say it appeared the guidelines independent expert. Players diag- gone,” the Morocco midfielder were not correctly followed,” he nosed with concussions start a five- said of the concussion sustained said. step protocol that includes addi- in his team’s opening match “I will now ask for an expla- tional testing as the player against Iran. nation from the Moroccan team progresses from light exercise to “When you think about it, it doctor about what has happened football contact. There is no time is a little bit scary.” so that he played again.” limit, but it generally takes five days Five days after a clash of He added: “FIFA has no or more. The NFL diagnosed 281 heads sent him to hospital for a authority over this. We produce concussions during the 2017 season. brain scan and 24 hours of the guidelines but it is the team Amrabat said his brain scan medical supervision, the doctors who make the decision.” showed no damage. But he said 31-year-old was back in the FIFPro said Amrabat he cannot remember anything Moroccan lineup Wednesday shouldn’t have played again so from the Iran game, “from the and played the entire match in a soon.