The first four teams to officially qualify for the Round of 16 was decided on day 12 of FIFA World Cup 2018 with Uruguay, Russia, Spain and Portugal making the final cut from Group A and B respectively.
While Uruguay demolished the host Russia 3-0 to top group A and qualify for the Round of 16 along with the home team, Group B was up for much drama as the fate of all four teams hanged in uncertainty.
In Group B, Morocco faced Spain while the European Champion Portugal took on Iran in their final league matches. With the possibility of all four teams qualifying for the next round, the two matches did not disappoint to entertain as two relatively low ranked team, Morocco and Iran, almost snatched away the vital three points from the grabs of the two European giants.
Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo were just inches away from being eliminated from the World Cup. The 2016 Euro winners drew Iran 1-1, sneaking into the next round as a runner-up in Group B.
Although Spain topped the group with 5 points, they haven't yet had a impressive show this FIFA World Cup. Same was evident on Day 12 as a 93 minute strike from substitute Lago Aspas saved Spain from a shocker and hanged on to share a point with Morocco. The final score stood at 2-2.
In the next round, Portugal will clash against Group A topper Uruguay while Group B topper Spain will take on runner-up of Group A Russia.
