SHAFAQNA – Diego Costa breaks tie in 54th minute; Spain and Portugal have four points in Group B
Diego Costa scored on a deflection to lead Spain to a 1-0 win over Iran on Wednesday at the World Cup.
Costa broke the deadlock in the 54th minute after being set up by Andres Iniesta. The powerful striker turned in the area and took a shot but the ball deflected off Ramin Rezeian before bouncing back onto Costa’s knee and into the net.
Costa, who also scored two goals in the opening match, has three goals at this year’s World Cup, trailing Cristiano Ronaldo by one. He also has nine goals in his last nine starts for Spain, The Denver Post reported.
Both Spain and Portugal have four points in Group B following their 3-3 draw and subsequent 1-0 victories. Iran has three points in the group but Morocco has been eliminated.
First place in the group could be decided by goal difference.
Spain will face Morocco in its final match on Monday in Kaliningrad, while Portugal plays Iran in Saransk on the same day.
But with three points, Iran has still a chance to qualify for the knockout stage. The Iranians will need to beat Portugal to advance.
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