Spain advanced to the knockout stage as Group B winners after a 2-2 draw with Morocco.
Below are four talking points from the match.
1. Spain almost stunned in final group game
When Julen Lopetegui was fired as Spain manager on the eve of the tournament, some feared that Spain’s World Cup was over before it had begun. The 2010 champions initially responded well with an excellent performance in the 3-3 draw with Portugal, when only an extraordinary individual display from Cristiano Ronaldo denied them all three points.
Spain did just about enough to then edge out Iran 1-0, but they were not completely convincing in that encounter either. This was certainly their worst showing of the group stage, though, with Fernando Hierro’s side looking shaky at the back and struggling to create clear-cut chances at the other end. They may have rescued a point at the death thanks to Iago Aspas’ last-gasp leveller, but this was far from convincing.
2. Morocco get their goals – but not a shock win
Morocco’s bold style of play has earned them many admirers at this World Cup, but their hopes of progression to the knockout phase were dashed after back-to-back 1-0 defeats by Iran and Portugal. The Atlas Lions played some fine football in both games but were ultimately unable to even score a goal, with a clinical edge in the final third their obvious deficiency.
Morocco had to rely upon a Spain mistake and a set-piece to find the net here, but it would have been mightily unfair had they left Russia without so much as a goal. They almost collected a famous victory too, but it was not to be as Aspas struck late on.
3. Pique fortunate to escape red card
Gerard Pique was far from solid in the 3-3 draw with Portugal in Spain’s opening game, although he recovered to an extent in the 1-0 defeat of Iran. The Barcelona centre-back could easily have been sent off here, though, inexplicably diving into a two-footed challenge in the first half.
Pique has been shaky at times so far in Russia, and he will need to up his game when La Roja do battle with Russia at the weekend. Artem Dzyuba is a handful – particularly in the air – and the hosts will no doubt loft plenty of long balls in his direction this Saturday.
4. Russia await for Spain
Before the late drama in both Group A games, Spain looked set to face Uruguay rather than Russia in the round of 16 on Saturday. The host nation may have been reduced to 10 men in the first half of their meeting with Oscar Tabarez’s charges earlier on Monday, but the gulf in class between the two teams was clear even before the numerical disadvantage.
Spain will therefore be delighted that they will now play Russia, but they must not underestimate their upcoming opponents – particularly after this unconvincing performance.
