RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Reigning world champion of indoor soccer Spain came very close to losing and tied Iran 3-3 in the last minutes of their Group D opening game of the 2008 World Cup on Wednesday.

    The almost empty gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro nearly witnessed the fall of the back-to-back world champion.

    The Iranians took full advantage of every missed shot by the Spaniards and responded with quick and efficient fast breaks. All three goals of the Iranians were scored in the first period, all on fast break opportunities.

    The favorites to win the title once again, the Spaniards started off very sluggish and slow. After falling behind 3-0, they came back with fire in their eyes in the second half.

    The second half was dominated by Spain, both offensively and defensively, shutting down the fast breaks of Iran.

    The game tying goal came in the 61st minute, keeping Spain's hopes alive of winning its third consecutive world title.

    Spain returns to play on Friday against Libya. Iran has a bye in the next round and will play against Libya on Sunday.