At the end of an eventful night of football in Russia, Spain’s last-minute 2-2 draw with Morocco has secured them the top spot in group B, following a contemporaneous 1-1 draw between the Iberian rivals Portugal, and a surprisingly strong Iran side.
The Spanish favourites got off to a rough start, as Moroccan striker Khalid Boutaib benefited from Sergio Ramos’ horrendous error before calmly slotting the ball between David de Gea’s legs in the 14th minute.
However, Isco equalised moments later after a fine combination with Andres Iniesta to seemingly put Spain back on track to win the game.
Nevertheless, the North Africans were unimpressed by the Spanish possession football and restored their one-goal-lead with a powerful header from substitute Youssef En Nesyri in the 81st minute.
The favourites had the last laugh though, as a delightful last-minute flick from Iago Aspas not only rescued the Spaniards a point, but also their lead in group B, as they now await the Russian hosts in the last-16.
With many surprising performances, be it in a positive or negative way, we take a look the five best and worst players of a highly entertaining match-up in Kaliningrad.
#1 Best – Khalid Boutaib
- Khalid Boutaib was one of many Moroccans to exceed expectations in a memorable night for the North Africans.
- The Malatyaspor forward was a constant thorn in Sergio Ramos’ and Gerard Pique’s eyes and capped off a fantastic performance with his first-ever World Cup goal.
- After showing great anticipation before capitalising on Sergio Ramos’ mistake to open up the scoring, the striker could have had a second, after a quick throw-in caught the Spanish defence off-guard.
- Boutaib may have fluffed that chance by taking one touch too many, but he proved to the world, that he has a great understanding of the game and is capable of immediately realizing an opportunity to score, when it presents itself to him.
#2 Worst – Diego Costa
- After a formidable start to the tournament, Diego Costa’s campaign hit a roadblock last night, as he was physically matched by Morocco’s central defence pairing of Romain Saiss, and Manuel da Costa.
- While the Moroccan defenders, particularly Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Saiss, may have performed at the peak of their abilities, it was still a disappointing display by the Spanish hitman, who couldn’t find an answer to his opponent’s gameplan.
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Costa may have a played a part in Spain’s first equalizer, but went largely unnoticed during the rest of the game, before finally being put out of his misery in the 74th minute, when the more agile Iago Aspas took his place.
- Spanish fans will be hoping that their striker will rediscover his form from the first two group games in the knock-out stages, as his ability to terrorise defences is a key element to a free-flowing attack, that relies on his physical prowess.
#3 Best – Isco
- Isco’s performance was one of the few positives for Spain to take from a game, in which many players under-performed. The Spanish magician has been consistent throughout the campaign and has established himself as one of the early contenders for the Golden Ball.
- With Iniesta most likely playing his last tournament for La Furia Roja, Spaniards can rest assured that the team is in safe hands with Isco taking more responsibility in this World Cup.
- While his calm finish for the 1-1 equaliser marked his first goal of the tournament, it’s the Real Madrid man’s passing ability that really brings the best out of everyone around him.
- While his fellow attackers seemingly went missing in Morocco’s defensive lines, Isco still provided the spark and the creativity in the middle of the park that you have come to expect from him for his national team.
#4 Worst – Sergio Ramos
- Normally a name synonymous with ‘consistency’, Sergio Ramos was the worst player on the pitch last night. While it could be argued, that it’s his own fault for setting the standards of his play so high, his performance was the lowlight of the evening.
- Ramos’ uncharacteristic lack of concentration presented Moroccan forward Khalid Boutaib the 1-0 on a silver platter, and the Spanish captain never seemed to recover from his mistake in a dismal showing in Kaliningrad.
- In a very rare incident in the second half, Ramos was outjumped by the Moroccan substitute Youssef En Nesyri, who subsequently powered his header into the neat, as the centre-back could only watch the ball hit the net in despair.
- It’s hard for a back four to stay composed when their leader is struggling with his own performance to such an extent and Ramos’ insecurity visibly spread to his fellow defenders.
- Spain can consider themselves lucky to finish group B in first place. However, Ramos will have to provide his team the defensive stability we’re accustomed to seeing at Real Madrid, if his nation wants to go all the way.