The first two teams qualified for the knockout stage of the World Cup on Wednesday, as Uruguay defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0.
The win sent both Uruguay and Russia through to the knockout round, while eliminating Saudi Arabia and Egypt from contention in Group A.
Uruguay Doesn’t Impress, But Gets Job Done
Luis Suarez scored the lone goal in Uruguay’s victory. Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais missed an attempted punch on a corner kick, allowing the ball to fall right at Suarez’s feet at the far post for an easy goal.
Uruguay would fail to convert on any of its other chances, but the lone goal was enough to secure a victory. The close result may provide something of a moral victory for the Saudis, who played far better than in their 5-0 loss to Russia in their opening match.
While Uruguay has easily made it through to the next round, their performances against Egypt and Saudi Arabia – two opponents they were widely expected to defeat – have not exactly been inspiring for supporters.
“These games might not be fun for fans to watch,” Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez told reporters after the match. “Of course we want to manage our matches better and have more goal-scoring opportunities.”
Tabarez also said that fans might be underestimating Uruguay’s opponents, however.
“People were talking about Russia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia without really knowing,” he said. “I believe that in this World Cup we’ve seen so many surprises so far that we can’t take things for granted.”
Ronaldo Scores Again for Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the fourth minute to provide the only scoring in Portugal’s 1-0 win over Morocco. A cross from Joao Moutinho set up Ronaldo for his fourth goal of the tournament in just two games.
Like Uruguay, Portugal was far from impressive in their victory. Morocco generated several excellent chances and controlled play throughout much of the match, with many feeling they were actually the better side overall despite the final score.
“I’m very proud of the performance and I am very proud of my players,” Moroccan head coach Herve Renard said after the match. “I’m very proud of this country.”
Ronaldo’s goal was his 85th career tally for Portugal, making him the all-time leading European goal scorer in international play. The worldwide record belongs to Ali Daei, who scored 109 times for Iran in his career.
Spain Holds Off Iran
In the final match of the day, Spain held off a surprisingly game Iranian side thanks to a second half goal from Diego Costa. Spain once again dominated possession, holding the ball for 78 percent of the game, and Iran failed to register a shot on goal.
Still, the Iranians were close to scoring on several occasions. Just minutes after Spain scored, Iran believed it had equalized before the video assistant referee waved off a goal by Saeid Ezatolahi because of an offside call.
Despite the loss, Iran remains in contention. Spain and Portugal share the lead in Group B with four points, while Iran has three.
Spain is a 1/250 favorite to go through at SkyBet, as even a draw against Morocco will clinch advancement and they will have good chances to move on even if they do lose. Portugal (1/12) will also advance with a draw, while Iran (13/2) would likely need to win in order to get through to the next round. Morocco has been mathematically eliminated from advancing to the knockout stage.