IRAN’S PLAYERS STORMED the pitch at full-time as if they had won the World Cup rather than just their opening match after an own goal from Morocco’s Aziz Bouhaddouz gifted them a dramatic 1-0 victory on Friday.
Wasteful finishing looked to have consigned this compelling contest at the Saint Petersburg Stadium to a goalless draw but Bouhaddouz’s mistake in injury-time means Iran emerge as the early challengers to Spain and Portugal in Group B.
Iran coach Carlos Queiroz, once of Real Madrid and Manchester United, insisted the chaos that has engulfed Spain this week offered no boost to these teams’ chances, but this victory certainly cranks the pressure up a notch.
When Bouhaddouz nodded in at the near post, Iran’s substitutes could not resist rushing onto the field and when the final whistle blew moments later they were sprinting over again in delight.
Morocco should at least take heart from a blistering first half an hour, during which their zip and zest deemed them virtually unplayable. But Hakim Ziyach, Ayoub El Kaabi and Mehdi Benatia all failed to capitalise.
Instead, Iran showed the same grit that had frustrated Argentina for 91 minutes four years ago but while Lionel Messi was the difference that day, this time it was their turn to snatch a last-gasp winner.
Their build-up had not been smooth. Nike had blocked the players’ supply of boots four days previous while further back, friendlies against Greece and Kosovo were cancelled.
It gave Queiroz good reason for positioning his team as the group’s outsiders but both teams had cause for optimism after his side strolled through 18 games of Asian qualifying without defeat while Morocco were unbeaten too, with the added coup of not conceding a single goal.
Morocco’s fans, at a World Cup for the first time in 20 years, belted out their own national anthem and then applauded Iran’s, the 67,000-seater arena a sea of red and white, and buzzing with the hum of vuvuzelas in a throwback to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The only shame was the large number of empty seats at kick-off, with many supporters still queueing to get through security 15 minutes before kick-off.
Morocco started brilliantly, hounding Iran’s every touch and swarming forward with such ferocity that on the line, Queiroz spent most of the opening 20 minutes urging his players to pause, and take a breath.
The only surprise was Morocco were not ahead as Ziyach kicked the air from a well-worked corner, El Kaabi sliced wide and a penalty-box scramble saw shots from Younes Belhanda and Benatia blocked.
The onslaught finally eased after half an hour and by the interval Iran had not only survived but finished the stronger, Sardar Azmoun, the ‘Iranian Messi’, spurning a one-on-one after a scintillating break.
Perhaps tired from the first period or, more likely, reminded of their defensive duties during the interval, both teams were more cagey after the restart.
They each made substitutions as the game drifted past the hour and the closest it had come to a winner was when a fizzing Ziyach drive had to be tipped around the post by Ali Beiranvand.
Queiroz and his opposite number Herve Renard were involved in a touchline scuffle, that was quickly resolved, before the real drama arrived moments later.
Bouhaddouz could not see what was behind him when a whipped free-kick came in from the left and he panicked, diving to the ball and heading it inside his own near post.
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There won’t be a marriage equality legislation milked in Roscommon tonight…
@Phil O’ Meara: just take the rest of the day off your work here is done
Great performance from the Rossies .
I’ve a feeling this Roscommon team could go all the way and win it out
@Jamie: TAXI!!!!
@Martin McKenna:
Easy on the beer hahaha !!!
@Jamie: Is your brain broken or what?
2nd time to be completely embarrassed in the championship in two years. If we lose to Donegal in 2 weeks I think it could be time for change because the players are there to do better than we are doing. McStay had his tactics spot on.
@Damien Costello: Be afraid. You Will lose to Donegal. Donegal have been woeful so far but this team is young and gifted. They’re really to explode.
@Enda McCallion: Donegal have a very good young team and it would be unfair to judge them on the Tyrone result, they had a good league campaign and the result against Meath should bring them on a good bit. But Galway need a big result they have not won a knockout game against a top top side since they won the All-Ireland in 2001 and that’s not good enough. But I’d expect Donegal to win now after that miserable showing today.
As a galway supporter I say well played roscommon. This galway team will not do much as our defense is quite poor and fair play to the rossies for exposing that, best of luck in their next game.
Yeeeoow were gonna have a sam maguire before mayooo
@Jack: ya, ros will go all the way now :-/
Connacht final win in Salthill, doesn’t get much better than that.
Congratulations to Kevin McStay and all the players on the perfect display.
Roscommon Abu
Fantastic result for Roscommon. 1st Connacht title since 2010. Against the odds they dominated the game from beginning to end. The best team on the day by a distance. Onwards and upwards for the Rossies.
@SYM-Metal: weren’t you on here yesterday slagging off mayo and i people from castlebar? tell me again where roscommons manager is from paul? LOL!
@Dec: what ,your claiming Roscommon only won because they had a Mayo manager. Mayo made same claim about O Mahony managing Galway in 98 and 01 but when he went back to Mayo he couldn’t win anything. Leave it out .
@Finnster: no i’m not. i’m showing paul up to be the hypocrite that he is that he can slag off castlebar people one day and support a team managed by one the next. i’m delighted roscommon won as my wife is from roscommon. i would never like to be like yourself and paul scanlon who spend more time slagging off other teams than supporting there own. stop stretching for an argument finisher.
@Dec: it’s so easy to rile the Mayo supporters. I do support My team and Galway and Mayo won’t win any All Iteland this year .
@Finnster: sorry to tell u, i’m not riled. in my house growing up if we were beaten by galway we cheered them on for the rest of the year, because we’re neighbours and wanted gas in the west to do well. that would be fairly alien to you and scanlon. ye are the type that would curse a neighbour that had a better car, even if it was only for a few years. pretty sure mayo won’t win this year too but we came closer than anyone, including myself, thought we would. we’ll see how they get on this year.
@Dec: to be fair Dec you are way off the mark, I for years supported mayo as a second team and was probably at more mayo games than a lot of my mayo friends, I got sick of the showboating and cockiness from Mayo players and turned bitter. You may be one of the sound lads like my mates from Ballina so apologies.
@Dec: McStay’s success has nothing to do with where he was born, what a ridiculous notion. You say you are happy for Roscommon’s win today, yet you want to minimise their achievement by suggesting it’s because their manager is from Mayo? So It had nothing to do with the guts, grit and determination of a group of talented young footballers who worked their ass off in training to win this title? Today is their reward.
Didn’t say that Scanlon, read what I said to Finnster
McStay currently lives and has lived most of his adult life in Roscommon. His wife is a Roscommon woman and his daughers are Roscommon supporters.
When McStay seeked to manage his own county at senior level they said no to him. He has now moved on from that disappointment and has won Connacht for Roscommon totally against the odds and for the outsiders looking in he won Connacht without a number or quality footballers that couldn’t commit this year Neill Collins,David Keenan,Cathal Cregg or lads ruled out due to injury Kevin Higgins,Ultan Harney,Cathal Compton. After this success no doubt about it the best is yet to come for the rossies!
Where is all the haters now? Up Roscommon.
@Eoin Mulhern: We’re still here just a little quieter.
@Eoin Mulhern: right here, enjoy your moment . Shouldn’t be in it for too much longer.
@Richy: good man, cheers horse.
@Eoin Mulhern: Great display despite half the team leaving and turning their back on their county.
I love Roscommon…..
Come on the Rossies
Roscommon have some fantastic players as their recent underage success suggests.
Pound for pound Diarmuid Murtagh is as good a forward in the country, and if they can get Clann Na Gael pair Ultan Harney & Donie Shine back, they’ll be a match for anyone.
@Adelaide Kelly: good point, I made the same comment about diarmuid last year and how we were missing him, he’d walk on any team and I got destroyed, different class
@Adelaide Kelly: @Adelaide Kelly: donie shine was sitting where he should be. In the stands where he should be. He is no where good enough and hasn’t been for a long time.
Kevin has picked a panel that’s good enough to win Connaught. That panel should be supported and forget about the players that opted out or wer dropped.
@james murray: It’s only 7 years since he single handedly kicked Roscommon to a Cconnacht c’ship in 2010. He was the star player on that great minor team of 2006.
Enda Smith is a super talent also, would get on most teams in the land.
@Adelaide Kelly: 7 years and all he done was kick handy frees. What has he done for clann last two years. Very little.
@Adelaide Kelly: for the style of football Roscommon are playing he far to slow.
@james murray: He was the top club scoring forward by a mile when Clann won the county senior title two year ago. Last year when they won the league his scoring was the difference and this year between league and championship he’s the top scoring forward in the county. So far from very little… as for handy frees don’t ever underestimate the importance of a good free taker.
Tipperary all over again. Sheer arrogance exposes a mediocre Galway side again.
@Jack Strong: that and some ridiculously stupid short kickouts
@Jack Strong: tipperary are not in connaught , wise up.
@Michael Heery: I’m referring to their hammering of Galway in the quarters last year, you amadan.
@Jack Strong: you could only be a Mayo man taking such delight in Galway being beaten. Well done to Roscommon. We can take our beating in Galway .
You’re fairly fond of sticking the boot into Mayo yourself Finnster. Pot/kettle/black comes to mind.
@Spodo Comodo: indeed I am because ye can’t take yer bating and we will win Sam again before Mayo.
@Finnster: says the man with the obsession with mayo lol.
@Finnster: both teams piss poor :-D
@Hello there friend: agreed
@Patrick O’Sullivan: what ?
No stopping us now.
Great win for the rossies!
A Connacht championship is what these players deserve.
First and last football match I’ll watch this year
Lavelle is by far the stupidest keeper I’ve ever come across. What’s that saying about doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results? Fullback line (except maybe Kerins) for the scrap heap aswell……
@Michael Heery: wat dope it was obvious what he meant delighted for roscommon then again when you belive your own hype
Are the pairings known for the next round ?
Galway are playing Donegal, Mayo playing cork. Venues and times decided tomorrow
@Dec: limerick and Castlebar possibly.
@Dec: What about Tipp?
@Dec: Mayo 4 Sam :D
@Mick Power: they will be in the draw tomorrow with armagh, carlow and monaghan i think. The winners from those fixtures will play runners up in leinster and ulster. The other 3 will be hoping to avoid monaghan in the draw tomorrow i’d imagine.
Great result for Roscommon. I hope Gay Sheerin comes out publicly and apologises for his stupid comments earlier in the year. He has been proved very wrong today.
Thought Galway were very poor, going backwards fast after that result. Hard to see them getting anything against Donegal. Ref did them no favours at all though. He looked very unfit and unable to keep up with the play, gave at least two soft free’s to Roscommon because he was so far back from play.
Poor back 4 was cause of most of the trouble. Sort that out, and one had a decent team who may get to a semifinal, but not a chance of winning based on past 2 years performances.