Spain, Portugal advance on draws
Matthysse wants to do a Marquez
KALININGRAD, Russia (AFP) — Iago Aspas scored a VAR-assisted equalizer 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 after Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw by Iran in the night’s other game.
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 coach Herve Renard said before the game his team, the first to be eliminated this tournament, had been victim to ‘’total injustice’’ in their opening 1-0 losses.
‘’We would have loved to beat Spain,’’ Renard said at full time. ‘’We should be proud of what we’ve done, of the team and proud of the Moroccan public too.
‘’We’ve shown we were able to take on two of the best teams in the world in Spain and Portugal,’’ said the Frenchman.
The North Africans, who had yet to score a point or even a goal before Monday, started brightly, compact without the ball and breaking at speed.
Morocco took the lead on 14 minutes when 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.
In Samara, Luis Suarez helped fire Uruguay into the last 16 as Group A winners on Monday after opening the scoring in their 3-0 win over host nation Russia, who had a man sent off.
The South Americans will play their last-16 tie in Sochi this Saturday against Portugal.
Lucas Matthysse will take a page from the book of Juan Manuel Marquez when he defends his world welterweight crown against Manny Pacquiao on July 15 in Malaysia.
Joel Diaz, who trains the Argentine champion, believes repeating Marquez’s one-punch knockout of Pacquiao in December, 2002 can happen again.
“Marquez wasn’t really strong but he had timing (and) if you time (Pacquiao), wait for the right opportunity, you can land the same punch,” Diaz told Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Deportes.
Diaz has been training Matthysse in California, the past several months and they plan to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at least ten days before the fight that takes place at the 16,000-seat Axiata Arena.
Another factor that Team Matthyssee sees as a big plus is Pacquiao’s age.
“Pacquiao is no longer the same five years ago and he doesn’t have the same reflexes and is almost 40 years old,” Diaz said.
Still, Diaz maintains that it would be foolish to take him lightly.
Pacquiao is also immersed in heavy training in his hometown of General Santos City and will fly to KL on July 9.
Meanwhile, Oscar De La Hoya, whose Goldenboy Promotions (GBP) represents Matthysse, brushed off rumors that the Pacquiao-Matthysse title fight will be postponed of scrapped due to alleged funding woes. “We have a fight,” said De La Hoya.
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