Spain v Morocco - Spain clinch late equaliser to top Group B by the skin of their teeth against valiant Morocco as VAR controversy reigns - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Match 36

As this match entered added time, Spain were staring into the abyss. Their ongoing participation in the 2018 World Cup had slipped out of their hands and they were reliant only on their great rivals, Portugal, continuing to frustrate Iran. 

Seven extraordinary minutes later and, after a back-heeled volley, a major Video Assistant Referee controversy, several scuffles and a mini pitch-invasion, they were somehow into the last 16 as Group B winners.

Fernando Hierro’s team were ultimately rescued here by Iago Aspas’s wonderfully improvised finish but, with his goal having initially been ruled out for offside and then narrowly reinstated by the VAR, but all the late drama still papered over some quite alarming cracks.

It also provoked fury from within the Morocco squad. They had been within grasp of one of their most famous ever wins and, amid angry pitchside exchanges between members of the respective backroom teams, Hierro later stressed that his coaches had not requested the use of technology. Morocco winger Nordin Amrabat still could not contain his frustration, mouthing the words, “VAR is b-------” into a camera as he left the pitch.

Morocco forward Aziz Bouhaddouz also again brought up the defeat against Portugal, arguing that his team had “no luck” and bluntly describing the refereeing as “s---”. 

It was easy to sympathise with Morocco’s disappointment after three matches in which one point did not do justice to their performances, even if the technology here did eventually ensure the correct decision. Indeed, while the possession statistics will confirm that Spain were their typically dominant selves on the ball, the real story of the match was their quite shocking defensive vulnerability.

SOURCE:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/sports/world-cup/spain-vs-morocco.html

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-cup/2018/06/25/spain-vs-morocco-world-cup-2018-live-score-latest-updates/