Spain alongside Portugal were the clear favourites to advance from Group B. However, the going got tough for the giants as they struggled to convincingly beat Morocco and Iran in their group matches.
In fact, Spain was less than 10 minutes away from elimination when they faced Morocco in their final group match on June 20 2018 at the Kaliningrad Stadium.
After a 1-1 scoreline at halftime, Youssef En-Nesyri powered home a bullet header from a corner to give Morocco a shock lead in the 81st minute.
As things stood, Spain would be eliminated from the competition. However they benefited from a VAR decision to salvage a crucial point and avoid the embarrassment of an early exit.
With virtually the last chance of the match, substitute Iago Aspas diverted Isco’s low cross into the net.
There were calls for offside by Moroccan players with the referee initially disallowing the goal. After reviewing the VAR, he overturned the decision and the goal stood. The result enabled Spain to top the group and qualify for the last 16.