Aspas effort saves the day for Spain
Kaliningrad (Russia), June 26: Iago Aspas scored a VAR-assisted equaliser in injury time as Spain scrambled a 2-2 draw with Morocco on Monday in a dramatic finale to their Group ‘B’ campaign.
Aspas’s winner, initially disallowed but awarded after intervention from the video assistant referee, saw Spain stumble into the Last 16 as group winners.
The Spaniards will now face World Cup hosts Russia in the second round.
Spain survived a real scare from a spirited Morocco side who had been leading 2-1 when the 90th minute began.
Aspas’ clever flick from a corner was initially adjudged by the assistant referee to have been offside. But after intervention from VAR it was given as a goal, much to the consternation of the Moroccan players and substitutes, some of whom stormed the pitch in protest.
Morocco took the lead on 14 minutes when Khalid Boutaib took advantage of a horrible mix-up between Sergio Ramos and Andres Iniesta to race through and slide the ball calmly through David De Gea’s legs.
Spain were level five minutes later when some crisp passing sent Iniesta free inside Morocco’s box. He cut back with the outside of his right boot to Isco, who fired into the roof of Monir El-Kajoui’s net from six yards.
The Real Madrid playmaker was at the heart of every Spain attack, caressing clever passes to teammates and weaving past wrongfooted defenders.
Morocco sat back in the second period and invited Spain to try to break them down.
As the clock wound down, substitute Youssef En-Nesyri headed home the corner that followed to the rapture of the Moroccan supporters.
But Aspas’ late equaliser took some of the gloss of what had been a spirited and well-drilled performance by the North Africans. — AFP