Ron lifts anxious Portugal with strike
PORTUGAL coach Fernando Santos admitted his side played poorly as they scraped a 1-0 win over Morocco thanks to a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.
He described Portugal’s performance as lacking ‘intensity’ and suggested there may have been ‘some anxiety’.
He also acknowledged that Morocco gave his players the run-around at times, just as Spain did in their first game.
But when you have a player like Ronaldo – who now has four goals in the tournament following his hat-trick against Spain – you can lose most of the battles and still win the war.
Asked how the 33-year-old former United star was still doing it, Santos said: “He’s got a great coach!
“He’s like a port wine, he knows how to age well. He’s constantly evolving. He’s not doing what he was three or four years ago.”
Meanwhile, David Silva and David de Gea had a fright before Spain secured a 1-0 win over Iran to move to the top of Group B.
Diego Costa’s second-half strike proved enough to squeeze past Iran and move into a commanding position.
Costa broke Iran’s sturdy resistance with a slightly fortuitous 54th-minute goal, and the Spaniards were lucky to hold onto their lead with Saeid Ezatolahi’s effort ruled out for offside after a video assistant referee check six minutes later.
Their 1-0 win leaves Fernando Hierro’s men joint-top of their group with Portugal, with both sides on four points.
But Iran still have plenty to play for just a point behind heading into their final match against Ronaldo and Co.
Spain face Morocco in their final match.