via James Dudko

Aziz Bouhaddouz headed into his own net in stoppage time to help Iran beat Morocco 1-0 in their Group B opener for the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the Saint Petersburg Stadium in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Friday.

The substitute’s error gave cagey Iran their first win at a World Cup in over 20 years, while Morocco was left to rue wasting several early chances.

Opportunities were few in what proved to be a hard-fought slugfest between two stubborn defenses. Morocco showed plenty of endeavor going forward but crucially lacked end product, while “Iranian Messi” Sardar Azmoun wasted Iran’s best chance just before the break.