A controversial late penalty given by VAR cost Portugal top spot in Group B at the Mordovia Arena on Monday night.
The Selecao were far from convincing in their performance, but three points were snatched from their grasp by Karim Ansarifard in stoppage time after Ricardo Quaresma gave them the lead just before half time.
They will know face Uruguay in the first knockout round, but that doesn’t tell half the story. Here are four talking points from a dramatic evening.
Ricardo Quaresma sprinkles magic on an otherwise uninspiring Portuguese performance
Knowing they simply had to win to go through, it was brave of Iran to bide their time, but they started tentatively. Portugal kept the ball well, but Fernando Santos’ side struggled to convert the same possession into chances against Morocco last week, with just one shot on target other than Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal inside four minutes.
This was the first game without an early goal to give them a foothold, and the lack of urgency was a growing concern as half time approached; William Carvalho and Adrien Silva were struggling to unlock Iran’s low block in defence, and even Quaresma, who came in to force the issue on the right of midfield, looked frustrated with the lack of space to run into. Santos had not learnt to allow the midfield to move with freedom and Iran soon grew into the game.
Their plan became clearer the longer the first half developed; having survived the early stages, they grew in confidence on the break, playing the ball forward into Sardar Azmoun with good pace. Vahid Amiri was chief creator, and Portugal were soon hampered by a booking for left back Raphael Guerreiro, who had particular trouble dealing with Morocco’s Nordin Amrabat last week.
Carlos Queiroz had Iran extremely well drilled, but having created nothing for much of his first ever World Cup match, Quaresma, now 34 having failed to light up the likes of Inter, Barcelona and Chelsea, showcased his incredibly natural ability; running towards the box at an angle, he took the ball in his stride and bent it into the top corner with the outside of his right foot.
Ronaldo missed the chance to double the lead, and match Harry Kane’s five goals at the top of the goalscoring charts after the break; his penalty, awarded after checking with VAR, was saved by Alireza Beiranvand. The second penalty was given as Portugal were counting the seconds to full time, again with the use of VAR, this time after Cedric Soares was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball. Ansarifard dispatched it excellently, but it had huge consequences.
Andre Silva played with a point to prove but struggled for an impact
As a club striker, Andre Silva has struggled to pull up many trees in Milan; the 22-year-old has scored just two goals in 24 Serie A games since moving to San Siro from FC Porto last summer. That form has sparked rumours of another move, this time to Premier League new boys Wolves, a club with a heavy Portuguese influence from the boardroom to the dressing room.
For the national team, though, he has a superb record, averaging as goal every other game; in qualification, he scored nine times as Portugal won nine of ten matches. Creative talents have rarely been in short supply in recent times, but the lack of a top striker meant Ronaldo was often played out of position. Silva appeared to be the answer to their prayers.
Yet, perhaps to enhance potency on the counter attack, Santos opted to start Gonçalo Guedes with Ronaldo in both previous games. His performances at Valencia warranted recognition, but Guedes couldn’t take the opportunity handed to him. Silva came back in and, obviously frustrated at his lack of action, played with a lot of purpose, chasing every ball. But as another victim of the Portuguese approach, he struggled for service and ended the game rather isolated.
Bernardo Silva should have started in the centre of midfield
It took until there were just over 20 minutes remaining for Santos to make a positive midfield change, despite Portugal’s inability to kill the game off earlier on. His plan was clear, to suffocate Iran and take all the energy out of their play. It worked to a point, but that was down to good fortune more than the game management of Silva and Carvalho; the game remained worryingly open, which allowed Iran to threaten for longer than they should have been able to before equalising. Bernardo Silva, the Manchester City playmaker, replaced Quaresma, which didn’t change the set up much.
Portugal only needed a point, so being conservative was perhaps a sensible way to go, but they were sloppy in possession; the City man would have helped that from the start in the middle, while also making transitions slicker higher up the pitch.
Both he and Quaresma, while wingers by trade, do not suit Santos’ style. Wherever they play, they will be shackled, and so it proved again; but had he started in the middle, Portugal would have been much more useful with the ball than they were. Joao Mario, who started on the left, drifted in field quite often before being replaced by Joao Moutinho, but nobody broke the lines, which has been a theme all summer. For all the talent Portugal have, they may need to use it more efficiently later in the tournament.
VAR continues to divide opinion
The referee found himself heading to the screen on the side of the pitch on three separate occasions in the second half of the game, including for a possible red card against Ronaldo in the second half and for Ansarifard’s penalty in the last minute.
Cedric’s hand ball appeared dubious, but it was given as a foul despite the rules suggesting it must be a clear and obvious error for an intervention.
That late decision cost Portugal’s place as group winners, meaning they will now face Uruguay after Spain’s late draw with Morocco, which also involved VAR. Iran leave the World Cup having exceeded all expectations, but the Selecao progress under a cloud of intense anger and frustration.
