SARANSK, Russia, June 25 -- Iran fought to the last moment and only narrowly missed the chance to reach the knockout phase of World Cup after a draw with Portugal 1-1 here Monday night.

Despite the fact that the Portuguese dominated the ball throughout the match, the Iranians showed the world their spectacular spirit by levelling the score 1-1 in the 93rd minute and almost scored the winner a minute later but only to see the ball hit the side netting.

With five points from two draws and one win, Portugal take the second place of Group B to qualify for the round of 16, while Spain top the list with equal points but one more goal, and Iran are the third with four points.

Monday's match was decisive for both sides to reach the knockout phase. While Portugal only needed a draw, Iran had to win to progress.

In face of the strong Portuguese side playing 4-4-2 formation with star striker Cristiano Ronaldo, Iran started with the 4-5-1 formation to boost defense.

The Portuguese were pressing hard from the very beginning and made their first threat to the Iranian goal just two minutes into the match, with Ronaldo making a shot after meeting a pass from Joao Mario only to see the goal confiscated by the alert Ali Beiranvand of Iran.

Iran also had their chances. In the 7th minute, Vahid Amiri made an attempt at the Portuguese goal after meeting a pass from Alireza Jahanbakhsh but the ball went just wide.

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