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Cape Town – A stoppage-time own goal gave Iran a 1-0 win against Morocco in the opening Group B clash at the Saint Petersburg Stadium.
Morocco started the better of the two sides and looked sharp as they retained possession well and threatened within the opening stages. For all their probing though Morocco failed to create many clear-cut chances.
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In a tense first-half both teams looked to attack with speed down the flanks in front of a packed crowd who created quite a racket.
Morocco came closest in the 18th minute as a free-kick resulted in a goal-mouth scramble that Iran somehow managed to clear to safety.
Iran nearly took the lead after a blistering counter-attack with the Morocco goalkeeper forced into a fine save to deny Osman in a one-on-one situation.
The scores remained goalless as the two sides headed into the break with Carlos Quirozs Iran side the happier of the two.
The intensity of the game dropped a level after the start of the second half with lots of long balls being played with no clear-cut chances being created.
Iran grabbed all three points with a stoppage-time winner through an own goal that gifted them all three points over a devastated Moroccan side.
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