Another tight clash at the 2018 World Cup as Spain was pretty lucky to beat Iran 1-0 at Kazan Arena in the second game of the Matchday 2 in the Group B, although the Red Fury was a massive -500 favorite to grab a win. Spain failed to cover the spread at -1.5 with the odds at -143, while the match went way in the under of the total of 2.5 goals at +104.
Game Recap
The Red Fury wasn’t furious today at all, despite having the ball in possession for 78% of the time, and taking 17 shots towards Iran’s goalkeeper, as only three went on target. As a matter of fact, Spain was pretty lucky to beat the combat Iran side, as Diego Costa scored from a total fortuity – Iran’s right-back Ramin Rezaeian wanted to clear the ball from the box, but he accidentally hit Diego Costa, and the ball finished behind Alireza Beiranvand’s back. Enough for Spain to earn three points and join Portugal on the top of the Group B table.
On the other side, Iran parked the bus in front of their goalie since the first half kick-off, and the fact that Iranians made 86 passes in total in the first 45 minutes tells a lot about their style of play. Iran wasn’t interested in attacking, their only goal was to keep the net intact, but after Diego Costa’s goal, they had a couple of excellent opportunities to equalize. In the 53rd minute, Karim Ansarifard’s shot went just off the target, while in the 82nd minute Mehdi Taremi’s header from a close range finished over the bar. Iran scored in the 63rd minute, but it was ruled out due to an obvious offside position.
Spain was a -500 favorite to beat Iran, so the Red Fury upset many bettors who wagered on the spread at -1.5 with the odds at -143 while betting on Spaniards to lead at the halftime at -165 was also a miss. The bookies expected to see some goals in this clash, but it was finished way in the under of the total of 2.5 goals at +104, while the price on the over was -133. Diego Costa bagged his third goal at the 2018 World Cup, and he’s now at +500 to win the Golden Boot, as only Cristiano Ronaldo is ahead of Costa at +162.
In the ultimate round of the group stage, Spain will meet Morocco who’s already eliminated, and the Red Fury will be a -333 favorite to win this clash, according to BetDSI Sportsbook. On the other side, Iran will battle Portugal in a match that would decide who’ll reach the knock-out phase in Russia. Iranians will have to beat Portugal if they want to qualify for the last 16, and the odds are set at +500.
