Portugal: Ricardo, Miguel, Carvalho, Meira, Valente, Costinha, Maniche (Petit 66), Deco (Tiago 80), Ronaldo, Figo (Simao 88), Pauleta.

Iran: Mirzapour, Kaabi, Golmohammadi (Bakhtiarizadeh 88), Razaei, Nosrati, Mahdavikia, Teymourian, Nekounam, Madanchi (Khatibi 66), Karimi (Zandi 65), Hashemian.

Here was another exercise in tedium as one side came to play and the other camped inside their own half and set about a damage limitation job. The knockout stages cannot really come too soon now.

As has often happened in these type of games Portugal had a presentable opening in the first few seconds as Figo waltzed down the right before squaring into Deco. The chance was there but Deco trod on the ball and the opening was lost.

This allowed Iran time to settle and they quickly showed that they had little interest in venturing beyond the halfway line. Although they consistently gave the ball away inside their own half the sheer weight of numbers back in defence meant that this did not cost them.

Figo pulled a corner back away from the crowd to give Maniche a shooting chance but his volley from the angle of the area dropped wide. Then Miguel came forward from full back and went through two challenges before scuffing a weak shot from well inside the box.

In response Iran saw Nekounam put a decent headed chance wide from a Mahdavikian free kick. This looked their only hope of success.

Although Iran had everybody back in defence this did not mean they were always marking. Figo found Deco in the box and his touch took him into acres of space just to the left of goal eight yards out. His drive was fierce but Mirzapour thrust out a strong right hand and flicked the ball over the top. A fine save.

From nowhere Madanchi was suddenly bursting through the middle but under pressure he could make no contact as Ricardo advanced. It would not be the last time the Portuguese defence would be found wanting by one long ball to a lone attacker.

The Portuguese were becoming increasingly frustrated as Ronaldo tried to show off to real purpose, Figo was increasingly shackled and Deco was peripheral. Their mood was not helped when Figo took a kung fu kick to the head from Kaebi which was somehow missed by the French referee.

Ronaldo goose stepped his way to the byeline and then chose to shoot to prove what a head the ball he can be while Ricardo Carvalho should perhaps have done better than glance another Figo corner wide.

The Iranians could not pick up again from Figo's next corner and Ronaldo had a free header six yards out. He could only get a shoulder on it, however, and Kaebi was able to bring the ball down on his chest on the line before hoofing clear.

Ronaldo produced a better attempt after cutting inside onto his left foot but his low drive only found the side netting and the half ended with Deco lobbing a super ball into Miguel inside the box. He lashed the ball towards the far post and Mirzapour mananged a touch that sent the ball lobbing just beyond the post.

Although Portugal had hardly impressed it was hard to see the Iranian rearguard action actually holding firm.

Half Time: Portugal 0 Iran 0

Apart from one promising early break which was wasted by a poor centre by Mahdavikia Iran resumed station inside their own half and set about further frustrating Portugal.

There were a few mainly hopeful efforts but little real sign of a breakthrough as the game passed the hour mark. We were basically waiting for one of Portugal's star turns to deliver something and suddenly they did to devastating effect.

Figo cut inside from the left wing a slid a square ball into Deco's path. The pint sized playmaker coiled himself into a strange body position to shoot and caught a beauty, arrowing a sweet drive right into the corner with Mirzapour a mere spectator.

It was the moment of quality we had been waiting for and Portugal had the lead.

There had been nothing to suggest Iran might muster a response but when Golmohammadi speared a long ball out of defence through the middle Meira got caught underneath it and Khatibi, just on as a sub, was clean through.

The extra touch he decided to take was unnecessary and betrayed a lack of confidence. It was also heavy and severely narrowed his angle and his eventual shot was tame, bobbling wide of the far post.

Iran did try to seek an equaliser and Zandi got down the right to send over a centre which Hashemian headed goalwards but the save was not taxing for Ricardo. The ball had been just behind the striker and although he got direction he could not combine that with pace.

Straight down the other end Figo ran down the left hand side of the area to be taken out by a ridiculous challenge by Golmohammadi. The penalty was so blatant even this referee could not fail but award it.

Ronaldo stepped forward to plant an emphatic spot kick high into the net to make the game safe. Sinking to his knees he milked the moment for all it was worth having failed miserably to pull off any of his party pieces in another frustrating display of self indulgence.

The game ended with play stretched as at no other time and the Iranian defence basically having given up.

Nekounam should have scored with a free header from a corner while Pauleta put in a weak finish when clear that Mirzapour saved with his feet. Right at the death Ronaldo tapped the ball home but was rightly given offside and an unsatisfactory game had at least produced the correct result.

Portugal will need to improve significantly to make a serious impact on the tournament, however.

Full Time: Portugal 2 Iran 0

Portugal: Ricardo 5, Miguel 6, Carvalho 5, Meira 4, Valente 5, Costinha 4, Maniche 5 (Petit 6), Deco 7 (Tiago 3), Figo 7, Ronaldo 5, Pauleta 3.

Iran: Mirzapour 8, Kaebi 7, Golmohammadi 4, Razaei 4, Nosrati 3, Mahdavikia 6, Teymourian 3, Nekounam 3, Madanchi 5 (Khatibi 2), Karimi 3 (Zandi 5), Hashemian 2.

Referee: E.Poulat (France) 2
Started by not booking two Portugal players for bad fouls and then proceded to whip cards out apparently at random.
When Kaebi launched a full length kick into Figo's face, however, he again saw nothing amiss. Bizarre.
Basically he was crap.

Good:
Deco's strike. Matador style, matador precision. Kill that bull, Deco.

Bad:
The referee and Ronaldo. I can't believe Ronaldo feels capable of wasting so many good opportunities with his showboating nonsense when he has a man like Figo alongside him setting him such an example of how and when to use the tricks and when to keep it simple.

Ugly:
Kaebi's airbourne assault on Figo which left him with the mother of all shaving wounds. Mark Dennis would have been proud of it.