Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended1529081253

Morocco vs Iran LIVE World Cup 2018: Latest score, goals and updates from St Petersburg

Follow all the latest news from the second Group B match in Russia

Molly Hudson
Friday 15 June 2018 17:46 BST
Comments
2018 Russia World Cup in numbers

Fresh from losing the World Cup 2026 bid, a disappointed Morocco will be in action against Iran in the first game of Group B in St Petersburg.

Both Morocco and Iran will be desperate to secure victory to get any chance of reaching the round of 16 given that the last two European champions are in their group in Portugal and Spain.

Morocco No 9 Ayoub el Kaabi is a man to look out for as they vie for the first three points in the group.

Follow all the live action below...


Please allow a moment for the blog to load...

What time is kick-off?

Morocco vs Iran kicks off at 4pm BST.

Where can I watch it?

The game will be shown on ITV.

Odds

Morocco: 13/10

Iran: 61/20

Draw: 41/20

Prediction

Morocco 1-1 Iran. Both teams will be pushing for the victory in their first game and could end up cancelling each other out.

But who do you think will win? Let us know by voting above.

1529072064

Welcome to Game Two of Day Two in Russia, as Morocco take on Iran.

Stay tuned for team news and analysis, coming right up...

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 15:14
1529072684

With just time for a cuppa between Uruguay's late winner and the next game, the World Cup is in full swing.

Here are your teams for Morocco vs Iran:

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 15:24
1529073276

Game two sees the FIFA ranked 42nd side Morocco take on 36th ranked Iran.

If you aren't familiar with all the stars of Morocco and Iran playing across the globe, you can be forgiven, so here's some basic info on the two sides.

Iran arrive in Russia after also featuring in the World Cup in Brazil four years ago. whilst Morocco break a 20 year absence from the tournament.

Both sides are likely to set up in a 4-5-1 formation, with a congested midfield to contend with. That may set them in good stead against the likes of Portugal and Spain but today both sides will be keen to get the all-important win if they are to qualify from a tough group.

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 15:34
1529073658

Morocco are a team littered with players eligible for more than one country, but choosing Morocco over the likes of France and the Netherlands.

First choice ‘keeper Munir Mohand Mohamedi plays in Spain’s second tier for Numancia and started just one league game, so will need to get up to speed quickly with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa to come.

But Morocco do have strengths elsewhere, Romain Saiss has just gained promotion with Wolves, whilst Nordin Amrabat will be familiar for Watford fans.

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 15:40
1529073943

Moroccan players also feature in the top European teams, with young star Achraf Hakimi growing experience and silverware with Real Madrid, and captain Mehdi Benatia features for Juventus.

Ajax's Hakim Ziyech was voted player of the season, and notched up 15 assists in Eredivisie, and on paper Morocco look a talented side

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 15:45
1529074460

Iran, coached by Carlos Queiroz, are without young talent Saeid Ezatolahi 21, banned from their opening game after being sent off against South Korea.

Queiroz worked alongside Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and is thought of highly after qualifying for a World Cup with three countries - South Africa, Portugal and Iran.

Their star player will be Alireza Jahanbakhsh who plays in the Dutch Eredivisie with Alkmaar scoring an impressive 21 goals.

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 15:54
1529074652

The teams are in the tunnel and we are almost ready for game two of the day. This will be a huge occasion for many of these players, a real chance to showcase their talents, particularly going forward before facing the stars of Spain and Portugal.

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 15:57
1529074937

KICK OFF: Morocco kick us off as we get underway in St Petersburg 

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 16:02
1529075087

2 mins: Amine Harit hits an early range finder that goes wide of the target for Morocco. Iran penned in early on here.

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 16:04
1529075171

3 mins: Hakim Ziyech manages to completely miss the ball whilst unmarked on the edge of the Iranian area. An open attacking start to this one, bodes well for the next 90 minutes.

Molly Hudson15 June 2018 16:06

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in