The first game to take place today was Uruguay v. Egypt. Egypt, whose leading score Mo Salah was questionable, did not play, as their attacking chances were few and far between. Uruguay dictated the run of play and the tempo of the game, but missed out on a chance to score before halftime when forward Luis Suarez shot wide left of net from 5 yards out. In the 47th minute, Suarez's shot from a tight angle hit Egypt's keeper Mohamed El-Shenawy's knee. Suarez later had another one-on-one chance that fell into a diver El-Shenawy's arms, who later denied forward Edinson Cavani's strike in the 83rd minute. Cavani would have his free kick hit the post 5 minutes later, ultimately leading up to another Uruguay free kick. There, Jose Gimenez scored off the free kick, heading the ball inside the right post in the 89th minute. Uruguay are now tied with Russia for first after their 1-0 win.
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| Gimenez after his match-winning goal |
Following this dramatic game was another tight affair, this match between Morocco and Iran. Morocco's defense, known for not allowing a single goal during the last round of World Cup qualification, held strong for over 90 minutes. That is, until Iran midfielder Ersan Hajsafi's free kick ball connected with Moroccan forward Aziz Bouhaddouz's head before landing into the Moroccan goal in the 5th minute of second half stoppage time. Before that decisive goal, Morocco had more shooting opportunities, such as Younes Belhanda's header wide of frame and Medhi Benatia's shot that was saved by keeper Alireza Beiranvand in the first 20 minute. Iran's few chances included Karim Ansarifard's scuffed shot in the 21st minute, and Sardar Azmoun's shot straight at Morocco keeper Munir Mohamedi. In the 81st minute, Beiranvand stopped Hakim Ziyech's blast from the left side of the 18 yard box, ultimately proving to be a match-winning save.
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| Bouhaddouz's header into his own net |
After two tight 1-0 games decided by late winning headers, Portugal-Spain proved to have the most hype of the 3 games. And it did, by a landslide in terms of play. The first goal happened in the 4th minute via penalty when Cristiano Ronaldo forced a foul in the penalty, before giving his country Portugal a 1-0 lead. Throughout the next 20 minutes, the game was wide open, with both teams creating quick counterattacks and scoring opportunities. None proved successful, until Spanish forward Diego Costa won a header by beating defender Pepe, took on more Portuguese defenders before blasting a shot into the left corner past keeper Rui Patricio to level the score in the 24th minute. Spain then controlled the next 20 minutes, including an Isco shot that banged the crossbar, until Ronaldo's shot just outside the 18 yard box, went through Spain's keeper David De Gea's hands for a 2-1 lead at the half. Spain would come flying out of the gate after the half, scoring two goals 3 minutes apart within the first 15 minutes of the second half. The equalizer came from Costa's tap in set up from a Sergio Busquets header following a free kick. 3 minutes later, Nacho gave Spain a 3-2 lead when a ball found his feet, and with tons of space, he one-timed it, hitting the far post and into the net. Spain were known for their elegant passing throughout the game, and they surely looked to seal the game with their potential 4th goal. However, Ronaldo got his hat trick in the 88th thanks to his curling free kick over the wall, stunning De Gea. Both teams are now tied for second in Group B.
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| Ronaldo after his 3rd goal |
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