Diego Costa's lone goal in the second half gave Spain a 1-0 victory over Iran in their World Cup Group B match in Kazan on June 20. After a lackluster and goalless first-half, Diego Costa broke the deadlock for Spain in the 54th minute after his shot bounced past Ali Beiranvand into the bottom-left corner after meeting a pass from Andres Iniesta.

Saeid Ezatolahi almost scored the equalizer for Iran in the 62nd minute, but the Iranians' cheers were cut short when the goal was ruled offside with the help of video assistant referee (VAR) system.

Spain came out firing on cylinders as the game began but the Iberians failed to find clear-cut chances as the Iranian side put up a strong defense. The Spanish side made their first threat in the third minute, as Carvajal kicked a speculative shot but was headed away by Iran goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand. Only one minute later, another shot from Spain was tipped away by Beiranvand.

Facing Spain's fierce and relentless attacks, the Iranian side tightened their defense to their own half court in the rest of the first half and practically left Spain no chance.

However, after Costa scored in the 54th minute, the Iranians changed strategy and played more aggressively in their quest for the equalizer. Costa, having scored three times in the first two matches of World Cup this year, was chosen as man of the match.

"We deserve a better result," said Iran coach Carlos Queiroz at the post-match press conference, noting that his team played with a fighting spirit. But he added that the match itself was a "win" for his team anyway, as his team learned a lot from fighting Spain. Spain's new coach Fernando Hierro said after the match, "It was a difficult game. It is very hard to score against them. They are very direct, tough, very strong physically."

After the second round of Group B matches, Spain and Portugal are jointly leading with four points, while Iran had three points with one win and one loss. Morocco, meanwhile, have practically lost the chance to reach the knockout phase after being beaten twice. Iran will meet Portugal in their last group match while 2010 champions Spain take on Morocco.

(With input from Xinhua)