Spain now tops Group B at the World Cup after drawing 2-2 with Morocco in Kaliningrad, and will face Russia who are the runners-up of Group A, in the second round on Sunday, The Guardian reports.
The 2010 world champions who had struggled to win Iran 1-0 in their previous match, fell behind when Khalid Boutaib ran clear of their defense to finish past David de Gea after 14 minutes.
Spain equalized five minutes later when Isco finished neatly after fine work from Andrés Iniesta, but they failed to take a lot of chances to increase their lead.
And they were made to pay for their wastefulness with nine minutes remaining when Youssef En-Nesyri headed home powerfully from a corner.
However Iago Aspas flicked in to equalize, once VAR had been consulted, and Iran’s late spot-kick in the other match in the group meant Spain went back to the top and will take on the hosts in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday.
This article was most recently revised and updated 3 years ago
