FIFA World Cup 2018: Morocco lose head at death
Posters on social media were largely unhappy with the development, including former England great Gary Lineker.
Saint Petersburg: Iran were gifted a late 1-0 victory over Morocco in their opening World Cup match on Friday when Aziz Bouhaddouz headed into his own net five minutes into injury time.
The Group B match in Saint Petersburg had been heading for a goalless draw until Bouhaddouz’s unfortunate intervention as he tried to clear Ehsan Haji Safi’s cross but only directed it past his own goalkeeper.
There was an explosion of joy among the Iran squad, with coaching staff and substitutes sprinting onto the field and jumping for joy. It was Iran’s second win in 13 matches at the World Cup, and Asia’s first since the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
Earlier, the constant din that accompanied the 2010 World Cup in South Africa returned for football’s showpiece event eight years on as Morocco and Iran clashed to the noise of screeching vuvuzelas.
The two-foot long tube with a plastic horn at the end became a global phenomenon in 2010 and divided opinion as the instrument, widely used at games in Africa, wasn’t popular with television viewers despite adding to the atmosphere.
The noise of their return reverberated around the 65,000 capacity Saint Petersburg stadium with both sets of fans enthusiastically blowing vuvuzelas at every attack.
Posters on social media were largely unhappy with the development, including former England great Gary Lineker.