Los Angeles, June 22 (IANS) Belgium and Iran are still seeking their first win of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after both teams had to settle for a share of the points in Group G at the Los Angeles Stadium on Monday.
It was a match marked by some terrific saves from Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and his Belgium counterpart Thibaut Courtois, with Rudi Garcia’s Red Devils dominating possession but ending up with ten men after the dismissal of centre-back Nathan Ngoy.
Belgium dominated possession from the kick off. The first chance came from Kevin De Bruyne, whose long-range effort went wide. Shortly afterwards, De Bruyne and Leandro Trossard combined well to create the first clear opportunity, but both De Bruyne and Maxim De Cuyper saw their efforts blocked.
Despite Belgium’s dominance, it was Iran who created the first real scare. Following a defensive mistake, Hossein Kanaani was presented with an excellent chance to open the scoring, but Thibaut Courtois kept Belgium level with a superb reflex save.
Iran continued to pose a threat on the counterattack. Around the half-hour mark, Mehdi Taremi thought he had given his side the lead following a cleverly worked free-kick routine, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Belgium continued searching for openings. Youri Tielemans forced goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand into a fine save with a well-placed effort, while De Cuyper tested the Iranian keeper from a tight angle just before half-time. With the score still 0-0 at the break, everything remained to play for.
After the restart, Belgium increased the tempo. Alexis Saelemaekers found the side netting, while Courtois was once again called into action to deny a dangerous effort from Taremi. Rudi Garcia attempted to change the momentum with a triple substitution. Hans Vanaken, Dodi Lukebakio and Timothy Castagne injected fresh energy into the team and immediately helped create several opportunities.
With twenty minutes remaining, Belgium suffered a major setback. Nathan Ngoy misplaced a back pass and was forced to bring down an Iranian attacker who was through on goal. The referee had no hesitation in showing a straight red card.
Reduced to ten men, Belgium came under increasing pressure. Courtois was required to make several important saves to keep Belgium in the game. In the closing stages, Belgium still tried to find a winner. Debutant Matias Fernandez-Pardo added pace and attacking intent, while Lukebakio saw a curling effort drift just wide of the post.
Despite five minutes of added time, the Red Devils were unable to break down the Iranian defence. The match ended 0-0, leaving both Belgium and Iran still searching for their first win of the tournament after two matches.
–IANS
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