World Cup 2018: Group B Preview

As the domestic season comes to a close attention is quickly turning to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

In order to get you ready for the month-long festival of football Marking The Spot will provide you with in-depth previews of each group highlighting the players to watch in Russia this summer.

Lets take a look at Group B.

PORTUGAL 

European champions Portugal approach Russia 2018 with the ambition of achieving the same double as Iberian neighbours Spain in 2010. As ever, they will depend on captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Real Madrid striker spearheads a squad mixing title-winning experience with a new generation of youngsters whose talents have drawn comparisons with the so called “golden generation” of Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Paulo Sousa who won FIFA world youth crowns in 1989 and 1991.

Portugal had to wait for their first major senior success until the 2016 European Championship, when they defeated hosts France 1-0 after extra-time in Saint-Denis. Victory which was achieved with a goal from France-based striker Eder, was a long-overdue reward for the Portuguese contribution to the world game.

The Portuguese FA was founded in 1914 by a merger of the associations of Lisbon and Oporto. The first statements at international level were made by record league title-winners Benfica, winning the European Champions Cup twice (1961 and 1962) and reaching three more finals.

Benfica also provided the bulk of the national team who finished third at the 1966 World Cup in England. Before Cristiano Ronaldo came along, their hero was Mozambique-born striker Eusébio, who was the 1966 finals’ leading scorer with nine goals.

Playmaker Mário Coluna, also from Mozambique, was another product of the then Portuguese colonies in an impressive side that included Benfica wingers José Augusto and António Simoes and centre-forward José Torres.

After a “lost decade” in the 1970s, Portugal revived in the 1980s as Porto won the Champions Cup and UEFA Cup. Portugal’s youngsters won two FIFA age-group crowns in 1989 and 1991 and star graduate Figo would later be crowned both world and European Player of the Year.

Porto, under José Mourinho, won the UEFA Cup and Champions League in 2003 and 2004 to spark a renewal of confidence in the national team, who duly finished runners-up as hosts at EURO 2004 and then took fourth place at the 2006 World Cup.

The then new starlet Cristiano Ronaldo has subsequently grown into one of the greatest players of the modern era, a Portuguese record holder of both caps and goals as well as the captain who lifted the European trophy at EURO 2016.

Two months later, Ronaldo was absent through injury as title-winning team-mates such as goalkeeper Rui Patrício, defenders Pepe, Cédric and José Fonte, midfielders Joao Moutinho, William Carvalho and winger Nani opened Portugal’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat in Switzerland.

That proved to be Portugal’s only defeat. Both nations won their eight subsequent Group B games before meeting again at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon on the last matchday. Portugal turned the tables winning 2-0 to pull level with the Swiss on 27 points and crucially ahead on goal difference.

On this occasion Ronaldo, the group’s 15-goal leading scorer, did not find the net. Instead, an own goal from Johan Djourou and a strike from Adrien Silva took Portugal to the finals for the fifth successive time and the seventh time in their history.

Portugal have already played in Russia having taken part in last year’s Confederations Cup. They finished third, missing out on a place in the final by losing a penalty shootout to eventual runners up Chile. Portugal have a talented squad but many view their EURO 2016 success as a stroke of luck. They will battle Spain for top spot in this group but a shock result against Morocco could derail their hopes of replicating their Iberian neighbours’ success. Anything beyond a quarter-final is highly unlikely for this squad.

The Coach – Fernando Santos

Fernando Santos, 63, is pursuing a double after steering Portugal to victory at EURO 2016. He never played high-level football but proved outstanding as a coach with FC Porto, AEK Panathinaikos and PAOK in Greece as well as with local rivals Sporting Lisbon and Benfica. In 2010 he turned to national-team football with Greece. He led them to the quarter-finals of EURO 2012, then to the last 16 of the 2014 World Cup. Two months later he succeeded Paulo Bento as Portugal’s coach and led them to glory in France. He is considered as the best coach in Portugal’s history and his current contract runs until 2020.

Record at previous tournaments:

• 1930 Did not enter
• 1934 Did not qualify 
• 1938 Did not qualify
• 1950 Did not qualify
• 1954 Did not qualify
• 1958 Did not qualify
• 1962 Did not qualify 
• 1966 3rd place
• 1970 Did not qualify
• 1974 Did not qualify
• 1978 Did not qualify
• 1982 Did not qualify
• 1986 Last 16
• 1990 Did not qualify
• 1994 Did not qualify
• 1998 Did not qualify
• 2002 Group stages
• 2006 4th place
• 2010 Last 16
• 2014 Group stages

SPAIN

Spain set a new European standard with their historic hat-trick of a World Cup and two European crowns between 2008 and 2012. They were deposed as world champions in Brazil and bring a rebuilt team to Russia.

For year, the reputation of Spanish football was dependent on the achievements of Real Madrid and Barcelona. The success of La Roja in winning the European Championship in 2008 was long overdue as Spain had gone 44 years without anything to celebrate. Victory in Vienna proved a lunch pad towards grander achievements: the World Cup triumph in 2010 and a European Championship repeat in 2012.

Football gained a foothold in the Basque country of Northern Spain through migrant British workers in the 1890s, and the Spanish FA was founded in 1913. The national side made their debut at the 1920 Olympics and went on to reach the quarter-finals of the 1928 Olympics and the 1934 World Cup. Each time, a team starring the great goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora lost to Italy.

The Spanish Civil War and Second World War halted national team competition for almost a decade and Spain were absent from international headlines until they won the European Nations’ Cup as hosts in 1964. A side guided by Luis “Luisito” Suárez, among the greatest of Spanish playmakers beat the Soviet Union 2-1 in Madrid to clinch Spain’s first major trophy.

Over the next 30 years, the best Spain achieved was finishing as European runners-up in 1984 and reaching the World Cup quarter-finals in 1986. Finally a breakthrough was achieved in 1992. Gold medal success at the Olympics in Barcelona was followed by the rise of superb home-grown players from Barcelona, such as playmakers Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.

These along with other club-mates including the Madrid starts Iker Casillas (goalkeeper and captain) and Sergio Ramos (defender), provided the nucleus of a national team that reached historic heights. Between November 2006 and June 2009, Spain were unbeaten for a record equalling 35 games.

Fernando Torres scored the goal that beat Germany om the 2008 European final and one of the four that left Italy outclassed in 2012. Iniesta was named the best player at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, enhancing a reputation established with his extra-time winner in the World Cup final victory over the Netherlands.

Coach Julen Lopetegui, who succeeded Vicente del Bosque after the FIFA World Cup loss in 2014 and early exit at EURO 2016, has rebuilt the team. David de Gea took over in goal fro Iker Casillas, but Sergio Ramos, Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba still provide a solid core in defence. In midfield Sergio Busquets and Andrés Iniesta have won more than 100 caps, as has David Silva, a worthy successor to Xavi.

Lopetegui has experimented with different attacking options, including the experienced Pedro as well as Diego Costa and Álvaro Morata. Costa, Morata, Silva and Real Madrid’s Isco scored five apiece as Spain qualified with ease. They won nine games, drew one and lost none, scoring 36 goals and conceding a mere three.

The only match in which they dropped points was a 1-1 draw away to fellow former world champions Italy in October 2016. They made no mistake in the return, winning 3-0 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu to stamp their command on European qualifying.

Spain boast an incredibly talented squad and arguably have the strongest midfield in the tournament.  Lopetegui made a brave decision in selecting Costa over Morata for the finals and will hope the Brazil born striker will replicate his goal scoring form seen in qualifying. The Spaniard’s class should shine through and bar a slip-up against their Iberian neighbours they should top the group. No doubt they will target World Cup glory and they should, at the very least, make it to the semi-finals.

The Coach – Julen Lopetegui

Julen Lopetegui, 51, is a former national team goalkeeper. He played 149 league games over 11 years for Real Madrid, Logrones, Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano. He was a member of Spain’s squad at the 1994 World Cup. In 2003, he moved into coaching on the Spanish FA youth staff. After spells with Rayo and Real Madrid B, Lopetegui returned to the Spanish FA in 2010 and led the U-19s and U-21s  to victories in their European competitions. After two seasons with FC Porto, he was appointed as successor as Spain coach to Vicente del Bosque. He has quietly made changes to the national team and introduced new variants while reinforcing its essence.

Record at previous tournaments:

• 1930 Did not enter
• 1934 Quarter-finals
• 1938 Withdrew
• 1950 4th place
• 1954 Did not qualify
• 1958 Did not qualify
• 1962 1st round
• 1966 1st round
• 1970 Did not qualify
• 1974 Did not qualify
• 1978 Group stages
• 1982 2nd round
• 1986 Quarter-finals
• 1990 Group stages
• 1994 Quarter-finals
• 1998 Group stages
• 2002 Quarter-finals
• 2006 Last 16
• Champions
• Group stages

MOROCCO

Morocco are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1998. The work of coach Hervé Renard has paid off with progress to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations last year and now by reaching Russia.

The Moroccan FA was founded after independence from France was attained in 1956. Morocco joined FIFA in 1960 and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 1966. Before then, however, Morocco had provided a stream of outstanding players to the French including Larbi Benbarek, the so-called “Black Pearl”, and later the Marrakesh-born Just Fontaine, who scored a record 13 goals for France in the 1958 World Cup finals.

The national team have won the Africa Cup of Nations once, in 1976, while club success at international level has included three victories in the CAF Champions League for Raja Casablanca, two for neighbours Wydad – including the 2017 title – and one for ASFAR.

Wydad achieved the added bonus of reaching the FIFA Club World Cup with their 2-1 aggregate win over Egypt’s Al Ahly in the most high-profile African club competition.

The Atlas Lions first appeared on the global stage at the World Cup finals in Mexico in 1970. Their second adventure was also in Mexico in 1986, when they topped a group featuring England and Portugal before losing 1-0 to West Germany in the last 16.

Two further appearances at the finals followed: in 1994 and 1998. On the latter occasion, Morocco thought they had reached the last 16 after a 3-0 victory over Scotland. Mustapha Hadji and his team-mates were already celebrating on the pitch when they learned that Norway had beaten Brazil to snatch second pot from them.

Now Morocco have finally re-emerged from the sidelines courtesy of a long-awaited new generation that includes defenders Medhi Benatia and Nabil Dirar, midfielders Moubarak “Mbark” Boussoufa and Noureddine “Nordin” Amrabat plus forward Youssef El-Arabi.

In the qualifying campaign, the Moroccans were seeded directly to the second round, where they defeated Equatorial Guinea 2-1 on aggregate in November 2015. They won 2-0 at home with goals from El-Arabi and Yacine Bammou and lost 1-0 away to reach the third round Group C with Gabon, Ivory Coast and Mali.

By the time Morocco returned to action, Frenchman Hervé Renard had taken over as national team coach. Initially they were challenged in attack, being held to goalless draw in three of their first four games, away to Gabon and Mali as well as at home to Ivory Coast. In between, they scored six against a Mali side who finished bottom of the group without winning a game. Hakim Ziyech, the Ajax midfielder, scored twice including a penalty.

Khalid Boutaib scored Morocco’s only hat-trick of the competition, all three goals in a 3-0 win over Gabon, which put them in pole position ahead of the concluding day. In Abidjean, hosts Ivory Coast needed to beat Morocco to finish top of the group. For Morocco, a draw would have been enough. Even better, they took early command when a left-footed, right-wing cross from Nabil Dirar eluded Ivorian goalkeeper Sylvain Gbohouo to provide a 25th-minute lead. Five minutes later, the Ivorians hesitated at a corner and skipper Medhi Benatia jabbed the ball home for a 2-0 win and a place at the finals in Russia.

Morocco are a determined side that have the talent to cause group favourites Spain and Portugal issues. If they are to do so their defence will have to be rock solid but captain Medhi Benatia is well used to facing the best in the world having played for Roma, Bayern Munich and currently Juventus.  The Atlas Lions will have to prioritise a win over Iran and try to upset Portugal if they are to progress. If they manage to sneak out of the group it’s hard to look past an exit at the last 16.

The Coach – Hervé Renard

Hervé Renard, 49, is a French coach who has made his name with African national teams. As a youngster, he played for AS Cannes alongside Zinedine Zidane. He worked briefly in management in China, England (for Cambridge United), Vietnam and France before becoming coach of Zambia in 2008. In 2012, he guided Zambia to victory in the Africa Cup of Nations, and in 2015 he did the same for Ivory Coast, becoming the first coach to win the African crown with different nations. He took over Morocco’s Atlas Lions in early 2016 from Ezzaki “Zaki” Badou.

Record at previous tournaments:

• 1930 Did not exist
• 1934 Did not exist
• 1938 Did not exist
• 1950 Did not exist
• 1954 Did not exist
• 1958 Did not enter
• 1962 Did not qualify
• 1966 Withdrew
• 1970 1st round
• 1974 Did not qualify
• 1978 Did not qualify
• 1982 Did not qualify
• 1986 Last 16
• 1990 Did not qualify
• 1994 Group stages 
• 1998 Group stages
• 2002 Did not qualify
• 2006 Did not qualify
• 2010 Did not qualify
• 2014 Did not qualify

IRAN

Iran head to the Word Cup finals for the fifth time, more determined than ever to reach the knockout stages for the first time. They will look to the World Cup experience of goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi and forward Ashkan Dejagah to make their dreams a reality.

Coach Carlos Queiroz’s team had been seeded directly into the second round of the Asian qualifying section, where they were drawn in Group D alongside Oman, Turkmenistan, Guam and India. They opened the campaign with a 1-1 draw in Turkmenistan and then defeated Guam 6-0. Striker Sardar Azmoun scored Iran’s point winning goal away in Dasoguz and then two more at home to Guam.

The Iranians also won 3-0 away to India next time out with Azmoun again on the scoresheet. In the event FIFA awarded Iran a 3-0 win because India had fielded midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh despite his suspension after yellow cards in two previous games.

Iran finished the group undefeated in their eight games to reach a third qualifying mini-league with China, South Korea, Qatar, Syria and Uzbekistan. Again they were unbeaten both home and away. They scored only ten goals but, crucially, conceded only two.

The most important duels were with South Korea, experienced World Cup campaigners. The Iranians won 1-0 in Tehran in front of 75,800 fans thanks to a first-half goal from Azmoun, then drew 0-0 in Seoul. By the time they wrapped up their campaign with a 2-2 home draw against Syria, they were certain of topping the table and heading to Russia.

Such progress was appropriate for a country that had emerged as a major Asian football power back in the 1960s. They won a hat-trick of Asian Championships, collected football gold at the 1974 Asian Games and qualified for the first time for the World Cup finals in Argentina in 1978. In South America, they marked their finals debut with by holding Scotland to a 1-1 draw.

Their progress in the World Cup was beclaimed after the 1979 revolution before they rejoined the finals in 1998 by defeating Australia on away goals in an intercontinental play-off. In France, they achieved their first finals victory by defeating the United States 2-1 in Lyon with goals from Hamid Estili and Medho Mahdavikia. A 2-0 defeat to Germany ended their campaign at the group stage.

Iran returned to the finals in 2006 but failed again to progress beyond the first round, a tale that would be repeated in Brazil 2014. They opened promisingly with a goalless draw against Nigeria, then faced two-time world champions Argentina in Belo Horizonte. For 90 minutes, their disciplined defending and the goalkeeping of Alireza Haghighi held the Argentinians at bay before Lionel Messi produced a solo special for the decisive goal in the first minute of stoppage time.

Memories of that campaign and the experience gained can only benefit Iran in Russia. The squad that brought them to qualifying undefeated includes no fewer than several of the 2014 “veterans”. These include keeper Haghighi, defender Jalal Hosseini – with more than a century of caps to his name – midfielder Ehsan Hajsafi, captain Dejagah plus forwards Karim Ansarifard and Reza Ghoochannejhad.

Fans will hope that the addition to the squad of free-scoring Sardar Azmoun could make all the difference as they seek to progress beyond the group stage for the first time in Iranian football history.

Iran’s route to Russia displayed their credentials but crucially they struggle to attract high quality teams for friendlies. The goals have not exactly been free flowing but Iran can take pride in their defensive record. It’s highly unlikely Iran will cause an upset in this group with their greatest hope coming against Morocco. The wait to progress beyond the group stages looks set to continue for Iran.

The Coach – Carlos Queiroz

Carlos Queiroz, 65, holds a record as Iran’s longest-serving national team manager: having started work in 2011, he led them to the 2014 World Cup. Born in Portuguese Mozambique, he entered the international arena in the late 1980s as coach of Portugal’s double world youth champions. Queiroz took over the senior team in 1991. Later he coached South Africa and returned there with Portugal for the 2010 World Cup. Club appointments have included Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid and assistant manager at Manchester United. He has used his vast experience to get Iran where they are today. Beloved by fans, this summer could be his biggest test.

Previous record at tournaments:

• 1930 Did not enter
• 1934 Did not enter
• 1938 Did not enter
• 1950 Did not enter
• 1954 Did not enter
• 1958 Did not enter
• 1962 Did not enter
• 1966 Did not enter
• 1970 Did not enter
• 1974 Did not qualify
• 1978 1st round
• 1982 Withdrew
• 1986 Disqualified
• 1990 Did not qualify
• 1994 Did not qualify
• 1998 Group stages
• 2002 Did not qualify 
• 2006 Group stages
• 2010 Did not qualify
• 2014 Group stages