• Portugal,
• 2018 FIFA World Cup,
• Iran

Portugal have fallen to a second-placed finish in Group B after a controversial penalty decision handed Iran an equaliser late on in a 1-1 draw in the Mordovia Arena, as Spain held onto first place with a 2-2 draw against Morocco.

The European champions, who will now face Uruguay in the Round of 16, struggled to break Carlos Queiroz's side down before Ricardo Quaresma's moment of magic on the brink of half-time promised to be the decider throughout the encounter.

A late penalty stole the show, however, converted by Karim Ansarifard, with the referee coming to a controversial conclusion when reviewing footage from VAR, as the two nations shared a point each.

Portugal v Iran preview

A Seleção das Quinas go into Monday night’s encounter with Iran in Saransk needing a draw to advance to the knockout stages of this World Cup.

Standing in their way is twice Portugal national team manager Carlos Queiroz and Iran, whom could advance at Portugal’s expense with a win. Queiroz, a one-time assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, is often credited with helping develop Cristiano Ronaldo into the player he is today.

And Queiroz’s unpleasant exit from the national team job shortly after the 2010 World Cup, should add further intrigue to this matchup.

Portugal’s World Cup campaign continued yesterday with a 1-0 win over Morocco, eliminating their opponents in the process and giving themselves a great chance of reaching the last 16. Once again talisman Cristiano Ronaldo was the difference, scoring the only the goal in the 4th minute with a powerful header.

However, it was a far cry from his man of the match display against Spain, and his below par level of performance was shared by the majority of his team-mates on the day. Picking a standout player is a difficult task, but ultimately Seleção fans can point to a rock-solid showing between the sticks from their number one goalkeeper Rui Patrício.

For the second straight match Portugal rode their luck as an early Cristiano Ronaldo goal proved decisive in a barely deserved win against Morocco. Only a rock-solid display of goalkeeping by Rui Patricio kept the Africans at bay, and Fernando Santos knows his team has to improve vastly if they are to make an impact at this tournament.

It wasn’t all bad news. Goalkeeper Rui Patricio continues to prove he has the temperament and the talent for the big occasion, centre-backs Pepe and José Fonte looked more like the impenetrable partnership they were at Euro 2016, and Cristiano Ronaldo added another victim to the endless list of teams powerless to prevent him from scoring.

However, it was a forgettable match for left-back Raphael Guerreiro and talented midfield stars Bernardo Silva, João Mário and Bruno Fernandes, who have all succumbed to big stage nerves so far at Russia 2018. Read the ratings for the Seleção players.