Iran wins on own- goal late in injury time

Aziz Bouhaddouz, head in his hands and face buried in the turf, was probably unaware of the opposing players and coaches swarming around him in jubilation.

Some teammates tried to console him, but it did little good.

In the second dramatic finish to a World Cup match on Friday, Iran was gifted a 1-0 win over Morocco in Group B because of Bouhaddouz’s own-goal in the fifth minute of injury time.

On the field as a 77th-minute substitute, the Morocco striker dived to reach an in-swinging free kick from the left and glanced the ball past his goalkeeper inside the near post.

“We were crucified,” Morocco coach Herve Renard said.

It was Iran’s second win in 13 matches at the World Cup, and Asia’s first since the 2010 tournament in South Africa. A diving Aziz Bouhaddouz of Morocco sends a header into his team’s goal late in Friday’s match, giving Iran a shocking 1-0 victory in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Iran’s players hoisted coach Carlos Queiroz aloft after the final whistle.

Considering that Spain and Portugal are the other teams in Group B, the match in St. Petersburg was regarded as a must-win game for the two outsiders.

Morocco, playing in its first World Cup in 20 years,

started well but faded. Renard said his team “fell into the trap” set by Iran, which sat back and relied on the defensive strength that carried the team through Asian qualifying by conceding only two goals in 10 games.

“Our plan from the first minute was to create a mental collapse in the Moroccan players,” Queiroz said, “creating frustration and blocking all the playmakers who can create something.”

So maybe it was mental exhaustion that led to Morocco conceding two fouls in injury time, one quickly after the other. After the second, wide on the left, Ehsan Haji Safi whipped over a cross between the goalkeeper and the retreating defenders. Bouhaddouz, covering the near post, dived full stretch. He couldn’t believe where his header ended up.

Suddenly, Iran’s blighted and frustrating World Cup buildup — the scrapped friendly matches, the sportswear sanctions from the United States that prevented players from wearing their favorite soccer shoes — didn’t matter.

Jose Gimenez came to Uruguay’s rescue by scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Egypt in a Group A match in Yekaterinburg.

The Uruguay defender jumped in the area and headed home a free kick late in the 89th minute.

Egypt forward Mohamed Salah was on the bench for his country’s first World Cup match since 1990 after injuring a shoulder while playing for Liverpool in last month’s Champions League final. Salah was the Premier League’s player of the season after scoring a league-leading 32 goals; he had 44 in all competitions.

At the other end, Uruguay strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani missed their chances. Suarez failed to beat Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shennawy in two one-on-one situations, and Cavani hit the post on a free kick two minutes from the end.

Egypt has yet to win a World Cup game, while Uruguay won its opening match at the tournament for the first time since 1970.