Flaws of gravity
Significant mistakes by European champs
SARANSK, Russia — Cristiano Ronaldo’s missed penalty cost Portugal first place in its World Cup 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 fin- ished second in Group B after a 1-1 draw with Iran yesterday. The 2016 European champions will next face Uruguay on Saturday in the round of 16.
“The conclusion and the most important thing is we’re going to continue playing,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. “We had a strong opponent.”
Quaresma became the only player other than Ronaldo to score for the Portuguese in three games in Russia. The 34-year-old midfielder
PORTUGAL IRAN 1 1
a furious charge in the waning minutes.
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.
Quaresma had nine international goals in 78 previous appearances for Portugal. But his goal against Iran had all appeal of a Ronaldo strike. He sent the shot with the outside of his right foot right spinning into the far corner near the end of the first half.
Not bad for someone who had played little more than 20 minutes as a substitute in Portugal’s first two games. Ronaldo certainly looked impressed, wrapping his right arm around Quaresma’s shoulders as he roared and raised his left fist into the air.
Santos’s confidence that Quaresma was ready to influence the game not only was clear in his decision to start the veteran, but in the coach’s comment afterward.
“I always take the decisions that are right for my team,” he said.