Best of Group B

A simplified look at Group B from a historical perspective and the current situation
Note: Country's best player Information taken from Wikipedia page. Match Report from several on-line articles


Spain

History
World Cup Winners: Once (2010)
European Cup Winners: 3 times (1964, 2008, 2012)

World Cup Appearances: 14 times
1930: Did not enter
1934: Quarter-finals
1938: Did not enter
1950: Fourth
1954: Did not qualify
1958: Did not qualify
1962: Group stage
1966: Group stage
1970: Did not qualify
1974: Did not qualify
1978: Group stage
1982: Second round
1986: Quarter-finals
1990: Second round
1994: Quarter-finals
1998: Group stage
2002: Quarter-finals
2006: Second round
2010: Winners
2014: Group stage

Best World Cup Match: Spain 1-0 Germany (2010)
'Spain made history by repeating themselves. The country appears in a World Cup final for the first time because it has hit on a formula for glory.' The Guardian

'The 1-0 results are a falsehood if they suggest that Vicente del Bosque's side grind out results. Their play is enjoyable as well as masterful and Holland will require every ounce of strategic intelligence and combativeness if they are not to vanish from the game.' The Guardian

Best player: Xavi
'Xavi is viewed as being the embodiment of the tiki-taka passing style of play, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest central midfielders of all time. He is also considered by many to be the greatest Spanish player ever. Since making his senior team debut in 2000, he has been capped 133 times for the Spain national team, and has been seen as an influential figure in the team's tremendous success. He played an integral role in Spain's victory at the 2010 World Cup, as well as their successes at both Euro 2008 and Euro 2012. He had a 91% passing success rate at the 2010 World Cup and was named in the World Cup All-Star Team. He was named Player of the Tournament by UEFA at Euro 2008. He was also named in the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament in 2008 as well as 2012. Xavi has won 31 trophies, only surpassed by Andrés Iniesta as the most successful Spanish player in history. He was a main part of Barcelona's treble. Xavi helped Barcelona win the 2009 Champions League final 2–0 against Manchester United. Xavi was imperious in the 2011 Champions League final at Wembley Stadium in London as Barcelona defeated Manchester United in the showpiece for the second time in three seasons, winning 3–1.'

Present
World Cup Qualification: Group winners
Performance at Continental Championship: Second round
Most Notable Match in Qualification: Spain 3-0 Italy (Home)
Most important player: David Silva


Portugal

History
European Cup Winners: Once (2016)

World Cup Appearances: 6 times
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: Third
1970: Did not qualify
1974: Did not qualify
1978: Did not qualify
1982: Did not qualify
1986: Group stage
1990: Did not qualify
1994: Did not qualify
1998: Did not qualify
2002: Group stage
2006: Fourth
2010: Second round
2014: Group stage

Best World Cup Match: Portugal 5-3 North Korea (1966)
'If England were the winners of the 1966 FIFA World Cup, it was Portugal who boasted the tournament's outstanding individual performer. In their first finals appearance, Otto Gloria's side went all the way to the semi-finals inspired by the brilliance of Eusebio.' FIFA.com

'Benfica were the top club in Europe for a period at the beginning of the 1960s, winning successive European Cups. Much of this team formed the spine of the 1966 Portugal World Cup team.' Goal.com

Best player: Cristiano Ronaldo
'Often considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, Ronaldo has a record-tying five Ballon d'Or awards,the most for a European player, and is the first player to win four European Golden Shoes. He has won 26 trophies in his career, including five league titles, five UEFA Champions League titles and one UEFA European Championship. A prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe's top-five leagues (395), the UEFA Champions League (120), the UEFA European Championship (9), as well as those for most assists in the UEFA Champions League (34) and the UEFA European Championship (6). He has scored over 650 senior career goals for club and country. Began his senior club career playing for Sporting CP, before signing with Manchester United at age 18 in 2003. Real Madrid's all-time leading goalscorer. A Portuguese international, Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football Federation in 2015. He is Portugal's all-time top goalscorer. He scored his first international goal at Euro 2004 and helped Portugal reach the final. He took over full captaincy in July 2008, leading Portugal to their first-ever triumph in a major tournament by winning Euro 2016.'

Present
World Cup Qualification: Group winners
Performance at Continental Championship: Winners
Most Notable Match in Qualification: Portugal 2-0 Switzerland (Home)
Most important player: Cristiano Ronaldo


Morocco

History
African Cup Winners: Once (1976)

World Cup Appearances: 4 times
National team formed in 1957
1958: Did not enter
1962: Did not qualify
1966: Did not enter
1970: Group stage
1974: Did not qualify
1978: Did not qualify
1982: Did not qualify
1986: Second round
1990: Did not qualify
1994: Group stage
1998: Group stage
2002: Did not qualify
2006: Did not qualify
2010: Did not qualify
2014: Did not qualify

Best World Cup Match: Morocco 3-0 Scotland (1998)
'Morocco failed to advance, but displayed creative football under the playmaking skills of Mustapha Haji.' Expert Football

'The panache of the Moroccan finishing deserved better than the news that Norway, with their long-ball game, had stolen into the last 16 ahead of them by beating Brazil.' Independent

Best player: Larbi Benbarek
'Recognized as the first successful African player in Europe. He was the first player to bear the nickname of Black Pearl. Larbi rose to fame in the French league and played for France. Ben Barek blazed a trail to the European, and particularly French and Spanish, leagues. He arrived in Marseille, France at the age of 20, and became an instant favourite with the fans for his skills and technical abilities, in Spain, with Atlético Madrid, where he truly blossomed and where his international fame spread. With the help of Benbarek, Atlético won La Liga in 1950 and 1951. One of the finest players ever to represent France, he made 19 appearances for the French national team between 1938 and 1954.'

Present
World Cup Qualification: Group winners
Performance at Continental Championship: Quarter-finals
Most Notable Match in Qualification: Morocco 2-0 Ivory Coast (Away)
Most important player: Medhi Benatia


Iran

History
Asian Cup Winners: 3 times (1968, 1972, 1976)

World Cup Appearances: 4 times
National team formed in 1941
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: Group stage
1982: Did not enter
1986: Did not enter
1990: Did not qualify
1994: Did not qualify
1998: Group stage
2002: Did not qualify
2006: Group stage
2010: Did not qualify
2014: Group stage

Best World Cup Match: Iran 0-1 Argentina (2014)
'In Belo Horizonte Iran produced a stirring performance against an Argentina team of all the attacking talents, at first defending like trench-bound soldiers then coming out in the second half to cause problems of their own down their opponents’ vulnerable flanks, not least when Reza Ghoochanejad sprinted on to a long pass after an Argentina corner and almost scored what could have been a sensational winner with three minutes left.' The Guardian

'In Carlos Queiroz Iran have a defensive mastermind to savour this kind of match, a coach who is happiest seeing opposition teams grind though the gears, snagged on his high-grade defensive spike strips. The approach was clear: get to Messi, Ángel Di María and Agüero quickly, don’t allow them to gain top speed in possession. Iran were cut open on 21 minutes by a more traditional route, Higuaín laying the ball off with his back to goal for Agüero, whose curling shot was palmed away. Moments later Marcos Rojo headed just wide from a corner. But already Argentina looked a little fretful against these resilient, technically precise Iranians.' The Guardian

Best player: Ali Daei
'Having played as a striker for clubs such as Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC, and is the world's all-time leading goalscorer in men's international matches. In 1994 Daei joined one of country's premier squads, Persepolis following his impressive performance in Asian Cup in 1996. Daei became the first Asian player to feature in a UEFA Champions League match. He scored his first and second goal in the UEFA Champions League on 22 September 1999 in group stage match against Chelsea won by Hertha with 2–1. His famous match against Chelsea gained him a lot of recognition. On 28 May 2007, after Saipa won the 2006–07 Persian Gulf Cup, Daei announced his retirement from playing club football. Daei was called up to join Team Melli on 6 June 1993 and was named the top scorer of the final Asian round of 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifications. In the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign, he was again on top of the charts. Daei was named the world's top scorer in official international competitions by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS).'

Present
World Cup Qualification: Group winners
Performance at Continental Championship: Quarter-finals
Most Notable Match in Qualification: Iran 1-0 South Korea (Home)
Most important player: Sardar Azmoun