For long stretches Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, Iran and Belgium looked less like two teams playing a World Cup group-stage match and more like heavyweight fighters trading blows in the center of the ring.
The scoreless draw may have not reflected the chaos, but the moments during the match certainly did.
Belgium entered the match ranked as the 10th best team in the world and a heavy favorite to beat Iran. Betting odds had them at -250 to win the match, with Iran receiving +650 odds to win the match. The spread was Belgium -1.5 goals, meaning most oddsmakers expected Belgium to win by at least two goals.
The physicality of the match was present from the opening whistle. Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku earned a yellow card after crashing into Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand near the goalmouth, a challenge that sparked heated reactions from players on both sides.
The first roar from the crowd came courtesy of Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who reminded everyone why he remains one of the game’s elite goalkeepers. In the 14th minute, Courtois stretched every inch of his massive frame, dove to his right and denied a dangerous chance from Iran.
Iran thought it had produced one of the goals of the tournament in the 25th minute.
Mehdi Taremi thought he had found the back of the net after a creative free kick sequence from Iran. Instead of taking a shot on-goal from outside the box, Ehsan Hajsafi, passed it through the line to Taremi, who took a touch and then fired a left-footed shot to the right-post, past Courtoutis for the goal.
Iranian supporters immediately went into a frenzy. Flags waved and fans leaped out of their seats in celebration. But after a VAR review, replay showed Shoja Khalilzadeh was offsides and the goal was erased, leaving the match scoreless and fans of both teams stunned.
As the game continued, Belgium went on the attack. They outshot Iran 22 to 7 and dominated possession. Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made several sensational saves, including a string of them in the second-half that easily qualified for some of the best saves in the tournament.
Then came the moment that shifted the match entirely.
Belgium defender Nathan Ngoy was shown a red card after a reckless challenge, forcing the Red Devils to play the remainder of the contest with 10 men. The decision ignited the crowd and transformed the final minutes into a frantic, wide-open battle.
The final moments of the match were tense, dramatic, and messy, with both keepers making multiple saves, including another remarkable one by Beiranvand.
The match ended in a scoreless draw. A huge victory for the underdog Iranians that now stand atop Group G with two points, and the tiebreaker over Belgium because of goals scored.
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