Ronaldo misses penalty kick; Portugal draws, 1-1, with Iran
SARANSK, RUSSIA — Cristiano Ronaldo’s missed penalty cost Portugal first place in its World Cup soccer group.
It could have been worse if not for Ricardo Quaresma, who started for the first time in the tournament and scored his maiden World Cup goal with a shot that had about as much flare as any in the tournament.
Portugal finished second in Group B after a 1-1 draw with
Iran Monday. The 2016 European champions will next face Uruguay on Saturday in the round of 16. Uruguay beat Russia 3-0.
Quaresma became the only player other than Ronaldo to score for the Portuguese in three games in Russia. The 34-year-old midfielder also became Portugal’s oldest scorer in World Cup play, by hitting a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area that went beyond the reach of diving Iran goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand.
Quaresma’s goal came on a night when Ronaldo — who had scored all four Portugal goals in its first two games of Group B play — was denied on a penalty by Beiranvand.
“We were on top of the game until the penalty, and we didn’t make it. It wasn’t perfect, but that’s football,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. “We did what was expected and now we have to settle down and think about Uruguay.”
Karim Ansarifard scored a late penalty for Iran, which need to win to advance, but couldn’t break through a second time despite a furious late charge.
The penalty was awarded after a video review showed a handball in the area against Portugal. But although Iran coach Carolos Queiroz benefited from that review, he railed against the system for the second day in a row. In particular, he cited a decision to give Ronaldo a yellow card after his elbow struck Iran defender Morteza Pouraliganji in the face.
“Elbow is red card in the rules,” Queiroz asserted, adding that there are no written exceptions for players named Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. “The decisions they must be clear for everybody, for the people. Everybody agrees that VAR is not going well. That’s the reality. There are a lot of complaints.”
Spain won Group B after its 2-2 draw with Morocco. Both Spain and Portugal had a goal difference of plus-1, but Spain scored six goals in its three group matches while Portugal had five. Spain will next face host Russia on Sunday in Moscow.
Ronaldo, who avoided reporters as he left the Mordovia Arena, has now missed six of his last 14 penalty kicks. But he hasn’t been the only big star to miss one in this tournament. Rival Messi also was denied in Argentina’s opening draw against Iceland.