Portugal nearly lost to Iran in their third group stage match at the World Cup, but the Euro 2016 champions held on for a 1-1 draw to finish second in Group B, knocking out their opponent in the process. Ricardo Quaresma scored a gorgeous three-toe curler in the first half, Cristiano Ronaldo had a penalty kick saved and Iran made a penalty of its own before nearly winning the match at the end. Had Iran not scored a late penalty, Portugal would have moved on as the group winner and faced Russia in the round of 16, but will instead get Group A winners Uruguay. In a match that was more competitive than most thought it would be, Portugal once again failed to impress, but got the result it needed. The team controlled possession but was shaky late, as Karim Ansarifad missed a golden chance from inside the box to win it. This goal from Quaresma proved to be enough for Portugal to earn the point. And as Portugal was trying to hold on, Ronaldo was taken down in the box and had his penalty shot saved by Ali Beiranvand: Iran then made it 1-1 in the 93rd minute with a penalty kick, but couldn't get the winner in the remaining three minutes, sending Portugal as the second-place team into the next round. They'll next play red-hot Uruguay on Saturday in the round of 16 at 2 p.m. ET. You can stream all World Cup matches with fuboTV (Try for free). Relive Portugal vs. Iran match commentary If the live blog doesn't load properly, click here.<doc-sep>Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup after all. It seems at times as though the world belongs to him—all the money, all the followers, all the corporate ambassadorships—but his resume at this event has been spotty. Ronaldo is now Europe’s all-time top international goal scorer, but he has never won the Golden Boot as top scorer in a major international tournament. He had appeared in three previous World Cups and scored just a goal in each. Until his hat trick against Spain in Portugal’s opening game of this year’s tournament, Ronaldo had fewer World Cup goals than Landon Donovan (as Donovan was keen to point out). Before Monday, he had scored every one of Portugal’s goals in this tournament. He had a chance to make it five of six. He didn’t take it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ronaldo’s missed penalty Monday cost Portugal both a victory against Iran and first place in Group B. The 1–1 draw meant that instead of a Russian team exposed by Uruguay, Portugal will face a Uruguay team that finally played well. Ronaldo ceded his lead in the Golden Boot race to England’s Harry Kane, and both Kane and Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, who is tied with Ronaldo at four goals, have a game in hand to score more. Ronaldo was nearly even thrown out of the game after a VAR review of a thrown elbow. Don’t waste too much energy feeling sorry for him, though. The list of things that have gone wrong for Ronaldo this year is short, unless you count failing to score in the Champions League final your team won as a disappointment, in which case you probably are Ronaldo. He is the reigning Ballon d’Or holder; the most famous athlete in the world, says ESPN, and the third-highest-paid, according to Forbes. He has led an aging and one-dimensional Portugal side into the knockout rounds of the World Cup. He even had that goofy bust outside his hometown airport, which is named for him, replaced earlier this month. Advertisement Ronaldo's Madeira Airport bust got an upgrade. pic.twitter.com/XLV7oxKUnl — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 18, 2018 It’s an odd experience, seeing a (mostly accurate) statue of someone who obviously takes such pride in being statuesque. The grotesque caricature of the first bust was amusing not because there was no resemblance but because the resemblance was not the one the image-conscious Ronaldo would have chosen. It was a surrealistic version of him: Ronaldo waking up from surgery before the anesthesia wears off. It was a version of himself out in the world that he didn’t control; that it was so unflattering was perhaps his worst nightmare come to life. Advertisement Advertisement Besides, the man doesn’t need another perfect bronze likeness. He’s already got one outside his museum. Yes, after you fly into the airport that’s named after him, you can take a 20-minute drive and pay 5 euros and visit the museum he’s built in honor of himself. You can see the actual Ballon d’Ors he’s won, read fan mail sent to him from around the world, take pictures with an augmented reality version of him, and stay in the hotel conveniently located onsite. The statue there is 10 feet tall, its arms held down at his side in his personal victory pose, as if he was a Final Fantasy character. At its base, inscribed in English and Portuguese, is the message he’s tried to convince us all is true : “Best Player in the World.” Advertisement Does he really believe it? If he did, if he wasn’t spending every waking moment looking over his shoulder for Lionel Messi, then would the whole act still be necessary? For every fan his shameless solipsism wins him, some other is alienated by the fact that being a fan of Ronaldo means buying into the whole persona. You can’t just root for one of history’s greatest scorers; you’re also rooting for the guy who has his own museum, who markets the idea of Ronaldo so relentlessly there’s almost no room in which to ascribe personal meaning to him. You take him as he is—or else you’re not doing it the way he wants. Advertisement Advertisement If you’re a real fan, you’ll forget about the penalty miss, and how it looked remarkably similar to Messi’s miss against Iceland earlier in the tournament. Ronaldo wants to be remembered as a scorer and as a winner. The rest of the action on the field is superfluous to him, backstory best excised from the stories of how he scores and wins. But those stories matter, not just the action taking place in the goalmouth. Ronaldo comes across as interested less in greatness than in the acknowledgement of his greatness. What will happen to the trophies when the museum closes? Will the story of Ronaldo as told by Ronaldo be the one that survives? If you’re not convinced by his career-long argument that he is the “Best Player in the World,” then what’s left for you when every goal and flick-on, every theatrical, arm-pumping run and exaggerated exhalation become parts of his monument to himself? No doubt someone had already figured out where a World Cup Golden Boot would have gone. Perhaps after Monday’s games, they’ll hold off on booking the dates for renovations.<doc-sep>Even Portugal head coach Fernando Santos no longer bothers to pretend that Cristiano Ronaldo is just another player. “Cristiano is like a port wine,” Santos said after the narrow 1-0 victory over Morocco, practically smacking his lips. “He knows how to refine his capacity and age at his best. He is constantly evolving, contradictorily to the other players. What he does now is not what he did three or four years ago, and not what he will be doing in a few years from now.” That’s all true, of course. Ronaldo is getting better with age. He is the exception to the rule. And like a glass of strong port, his self-aware and all-consuming brilliance can sometimes prove a little difficult to stomach. But to simply lap up Ronaldo’s carousel of achievements with a slack-jawed smile and the explanation that he’s unexplainable – some freakish force of nature – is to ignore the fact that, when you strip away the preening and the showboating and all those match-winning moments, Ronaldo is just another player, as his performance in last night's 1-1 draw proved. World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Rui Patricio 6 The new Wolves stopper stood up to the physical challenge that Iran offered, and had little to do until facing their injury time penalty. AFP/Getty Images World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Adrien Silva 6 Back in the side for his first start at this World Cup, it took him a while to get up to speed. Nevertheless, he still complements his old Sporting midfield partner William very well. Getty Images World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Joao Mario 6 Impressed early on with some neat flicks, but was less influential once Rezaeian got the measure of him. Getty Images World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Cedric Soares 7 Able to offer Quaresma support such was the lack of Iran threat down his flank. Astonished as much as everyone else when he was penalised for a late handball. Getty Images World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Pepe 7 The usual Pepe performance of combined histrionics and first class defending. AFP/Getty Images World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Jose Fonte 5 Struggled to get the better of Azmoun, and was twice flattened for his troubles. REUTERS World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Raphael Guerreiro 5 Another defender given a tough evening, this time by Jahanbakhsh. A failure to deal with the Iranian's pace led to a booking. AFP/Getty Images World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Ricardo Quaresma 8 Started his first World Cup game at the age of 34 and delivered a goal worthy of the stage. Some less impressive antics in the second half marred an otherwise excellent performance. EPA World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings William Carvalho 8 The heartbeat of this Portugal team. Tidy when in possession, and equally adept at winning it back. REUTERS World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Andre Silva 6 Back in the side for his first start at this World Cup, it took him a while to get up to speed. Nevertheless, he still complements his old Sporting midfield partner William very well. EPA World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Cristiano Ronaldo 6 After four goals in the opening two games, this was a frustrating night for the captain. He struggled to make chances, missed a penalty and was given a harsh yellow card following a VAR review. EPA World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Alireza Beiranvand 6 Looked a liability early on as he made a habit of spilling crosses, only to save a Ronaldo penalty in the second half. Had no chance with Quaresma's wonder goal. Reuters World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Ramin Rezaeian 7 Recovered from a tough opening where Joao Mario and Ronaldo doubled up on the left to put in a solid defensive performance. Reuters World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Majid Hosseini 7 Showed he had the acceleration to keep pace with Ronaldo when the forward threatened to get in behind the Iran defence. EPA World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Morteza Pouraliganji 7 A few lapses of concentration apart, the centre-half performed well in his battle with Portugal's impressive attack. AP World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Ehsan Hajsafi 5 Lacked composure and discipline in defence, particularly after the award of Portugal's penalty and was replaced shortly afterwards. Reuters World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Mehdi Taremi 5 Blew his country's big moment to qualify for the knockout stages but blasting his only chance into the side netting. EPA World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Alireza Jahanbakhsh 7 ran's most threatening player, he made a number of runs down the right that troubled the Portugal defence. Subbed with 20 minutes to play. AFP/Getty Images World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Saeid Ezatolahi 6 Battled well in midfield as his side spent a lot of the game chasing possession. AFP/Getty Images World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Omid Ebrahimi 5 Struggled to get a foothold in the game as he chased the shadows of Adrien and William. AFP/Getty Images World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Vahid Amiri 6 Found himself dropping deep to help out his defence in dealing with Quaresma. REUTERS World Cup 2018: Iran vs Portugal player ratings Sardar Azmoun 7 Impressed in the first half as Iran's lone striker, bringing teammates into play with an array of neat touches. AFP/Getty Images He’s human. He still has days when he struggles to find that pocket of space in the box, when the ball just won’t go in and he fluffs his lines from the penalty spot. He still feels that soup of nerves and exhilaration deep in his belly in the moments before every kick-off.<doc-sep>Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup French players celebrate with the World Cup trophy after defeating Croatia in the final on Sunday, July 15. Hide Caption 1 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup French midfielder Paul Pogba celebrates with the trophy. Hide Caption 2 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup France mobs Kylian Mbappe after his goal gave the team a 4-1 lead. Hide Caption 3 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Croatia's Ivan Strinic reacts during the match. Hide Caption 4 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup France manager Didier Deschamps is lifted by his players after the victory. Deschamps was also a player on the 1998 French team that won the World Cup. Hide Caption 5 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris makes a jumping save against Croatia. Hide Caption 6 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup French players celebrate after the final whistle. Hide Caption 7 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup French President Emmanuel Macron shows his excitement while watching the match. Hide Caption 8 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Paul Pogba, bottom, runs to the corner after scoring France's third goal. Hide Caption 9 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup France's Lucas Hernandez tackles Ante Rebic. Hide Caption 10 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup The referee used video review on this play late in the first half and called for a penalty after Ivan Perisic handled the ball in the Croatian box. Antoine Griezmann stepped up to convert the penalty and give France a 2-1 lead. Hide Caption 11 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Perisic, bottom left, scored a spectacular first-half goal to tie the match at 1-1. Hide Caption 12 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Will Smith and Nicky Jam perform during the closing ceremony held before the final. Hide Caption 13 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Belgian players celebrate Eden Hazard's goal in the third-place match against England on Saturday, July 14. The Belgians won 2-0. Hide Caption 14 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Thomas Meunier opened the scoring for Belgium in the fourth minute. Hide Caption 15 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford reacts after the first goal against Belgium. Hide Caption 16 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Mario Mandzukic scores against England late in extra time to give Croatia a 2-1 victory in the semifinals on Wednesday, July 11. Hide Caption 17 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Mandzukic celebrates after his goal. Hide Caption 18 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Croatia's Ivan Strinic, right, challenges England's Jesse Lingard. Hide Caption 19 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Croatian defender Sime Vrsaljko goes over Ashley Young for a header. Hide Caption 20 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup A photographer is knocked over by members of the Croatian team as they celebrate the late Mandzukic goal. Hide Caption 21 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Players collide during the Croatia-England semifinal. Croatia played 120 minutes for the third straight match. Hide Caption 22 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Lingard shields the ball in the corner. Hide Caption 23 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup France's Antoine Griezmann celebrates at the end of the semifinal match against Belgium on Tuesday, July 10. France won 1-0 to advance to the final. Hide Caption 24 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup France's Olivier Giroud kisses teammate Samuel Umtiti after Umtiti scored on a header against Belgium. Hide Caption 25 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Giroud is challenged by Belgium defender Vincent Kompany. Hide Caption 26 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup France's teenage sensation, Kylian Mbappe, jumps over Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Hide Caption 27 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Thierry Henry, assistant coach for Belgium and former French captain, consoles Belgian players after the semifinal loss. Hide Caption 28 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Luka Modric jumps for the ball during Croatia's quarterfinal victory over Russia on July 7. Hide Caption 29 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Croatian players celebrate after defeating Russia in a penalty shootout. The match was tied 2-2 after extra time. Hide Caption 30 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Russian forward Fedor Smolov reacts after the Croatia match. Hide Caption 31 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Croatia's Mario Mandzukic, left, and Russia's Mario Fernandes go for the ball. Hide Caption 32 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Croatia's Andrej Kramaric celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Russia. Hide Caption 33 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup English defenders Harry Maguire, left, and John Stones celebrate their quarterfinal victory over Sweden on July 7. Maguire scored the opening goal in the 2-0 win. Hide Caption 34 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup English manager Gareth Southgate celebrates his team's win. Hide Caption 35 of 197 Photos: The best photos of the 2018 World Cup Dele Alli scores on a header for England's second goal. Hide Caption 36 of 197<doc-sep>
The World Cup’s Group B culminated in a few moments of insanity on Monday night, producing the kind of unpredictable, unthinkable drama that this tournament specializes in. The outcome – Spain and Portugal clinched their places in the round of 16 – might have been as expected, but the way they got there was anything but. And, at the end of it all, Cristiano Ronaldo was left to reflect on the fact that he had come within one Iran kick of being eliminated from the competition, after perhaps costing himself his best opportunity to win the one major title missing from his resume. Ronaldo did not have his best night in Saransk, but for most of the evening it didn’t seem like it would matter. Indeed, when arguably the world’s best player stepped up to try to convert a 53rd-minute penalty kick that would have extended Portugal’s lead to 2-0, more people were thinking about how it could take his tournament goal tally to five than wondering how it might impact the qualifying scenario. But Ronaldo missed it, with Iran goalkeeper Ali Beiranvand holding his nerve, biding his time, and ultimately guessing correctly, moving to his left to hold onto the Real Madrid star’s tame effort. As the clock wound down, news filtered through that Spain was, astonishingly, losing to Morocco in Kaliningrad, meaning Portugal was not only safe in terms of a place in the round of 16 but was also looking utterly secure to clinch first place in the group. Yet then everything started dissolving into mayhem. Referee Enrique Caceres took one trip to the video monitor to see if a Ronaldo elbow on Iranian defender Morteza Pouraliganji was forceful enough to warrant a red card. Caceres settled on a yellow, but Portugal seemed rattled. MORE WORLD CUP: In the 90th minute, Portugal's Cedric Soares handled the ball in the penalty area, sending Caceres to the screen again, before awarding a penalty kick to Iran. Just before Karim Ansarifard nervelessly converted, Iago Aspas was busy grabbing Spain a late equalizer of its own, pushing Portugal down into second spot in the Group B table. And suddenly, even that was no longer secure. Seconds after play restarted, Iran surged forwards, the ball careened around and Mehdi Taremi, a young forward who plays in the Persian Gulf Pro League, found the ball and destiny at his feet. The moment was there, Portugal’s tournament future and a moment Iranian soccer history was there for him to snatch, but it proved too much. Taremi fired wide, and Portugal survived. But for how long? When Ronaldo finally got his first international trophy with his national team two years ago at the European Championships, it came courtesy of a seriously juicy route through the knockout rounds. In that tournament, one side of the draw became stacked with most of the favorites, while the other half featured a bunch of enterprising upstarts – plus Portugal, which had floundered its way through the group with three ties. This World Cup looks like it's evolving in the same way. There are still some group games to go, but it is a real possibility that France, Lionel Messi’s Argentina, five-time champion Brazil, defending champion Germany, resurgent England and now Portugal will all be in the same half of the bracket. On the other side, Spain – thanks to the late thrills - is now the beneficiary of a potentially plum draw. The Spaniards will take on Russia, which has surpassed all expectations after coming into the event as the lowest-ranked team. It won’t be easy, with the match to be played in front of a loud and passionate home at the host nation’s favorite venue, Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium Yet it is still better by far than taking on Uruguay, which is the immediate task now facing Portugal. Uruguay handed the Russians their first defeat, scoring three goals in the process, earlier on Monday. Ronaldo has won everything worth winning at club level, first with Manchester United and then Real Madrid, plus a huge collection of individual honors. He won the European Championship with his country in 2016. At 33, this may be Ronaldo's last chance to win the World Cup. It could also have been his best chance, but instead of going through as one of the favorites, Portugal now has a murderers’ row in its path.