LOS ANGELES, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Belgium earned a goalless draw with Iran in their second FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match here on Sunday despite being reduced to 10 men in the 66th minute.
In the first round of Group G matches, Belgium was held 1-1 by Egypt, while Iran drew 2-2 with New Zealand.
"Obviously, we had hoped to start better and win all our matches - or at least one," Belgium coach Rudi Garcia admitted at the post-match press conference. "But this is a part of life - sometimes this is how the cookie crumbles."
Iran coach Amir Ghalehnoei said, "I think it was a very exciting game. Both teams deserved to win; both could have taken the three points. I want to extend my sincere thanks to each and every player, especially Ali Beiranvand."
It was the first time the two sides had met at a World Cup. Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and his Belgian counterpart Thibaut Courtois both produced strong performances, with Beiranvand named player of the match.
Belgian midfielder Nicolas Raskin said, "I'm very frustrated. I think the ball didn't roll for us in the last 30 meters. It was the type of game in which the ball is just not dropping for you, and everything goes well for them - and their goalkeeper had a brilliant game."
Belgium veteran striker Romelu Lukaku was booked just three minutes into the game after stretching to get a foot on Kevin De Bruyne's cross but catching Beiranvand badly in the chest.
Although Belgium enjoyed 59 percent possession and had 23 shots to Iran's seven, Iran looked sharper and more dangerous on the pitch.
Iran's first chance came in the 14th minute when a long throw bounced around the penalty area before dropping to defender Hossein Kanani, who hit a powerful volley low to Courtois' right, but the Belgian goalkeeper pushed it away. Iran midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi then headed narrowly wide.
In the 25th minute, Iran won a free kick 35 yards out and defender Ehsan Hajisafi stepped up and shaped to shoot, but instead played a clever reverse pass through a crowd on the edge of the box to find star striker Mehdi Taremi, who turned sharply and finished low past Courtois.
However, Iran's celebrations were cut short as a VAR check confirmed that Taremi was a shoulder-width offside, leaving the score at 0-0.
Belgium faced more set-piece trouble in the second half. In the 53rd minute, Iranian midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh launched a long throw-in from the right, which was flicked on to Taremi inside the box. The striker hit a clean volley goalward, forcing Courtois to react well.
Belgium continued to push, but Iranian defenders held firm around the edge of the box. Although De Bruyne and Tielemans kept trying to thread the finest needle, the Iranians kept plugging the gaps with discipline.
In the 66th minute, Belgium was reduced to 10 men as center back Nathan Ngoy was shown a straight red card for a poor tackle from behind on Taremi to deny a clear scoring chance.
Lukaku, Belgium's all-time top scorer, could not find space inside the box and was replaced by defender Arthur Theate in the 73rd minute.
Both sides squandered chances in the last 20 minutes, and the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
In the latest FIFA rankings released on June 11, Belgium sits ninth, Iran 20th, Egypt 29th and New Zealand 85th. New Zealand is the lowest-ranked team in the ongoing 48-team World Cup.
In Group G, the third round kicks off simultaneously on June 26. Belgium faces New Zealand in Vancouver, Canada, while Iran plays Egypt in Seattle.
"It's a World Cup, it's the biggest tournament, the biggest stage. We don't want to go home. We want to go as far as possible, and we want to put ourselves in the greatest position. Let's go for it," said Lukaku. ■
