Stalemate in LA: 10-Man Belgium Hold Iran

TDT | Manama

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Belgium and Iran played out a 0–0 draw in Group G of the FIFA World Cup 2026 yesterday at Los Angeles Stadium, a result that leaves both sides with everything to play for in the final round of group fixtures.

Belgium, coached by Rudi Garcia, arrived under pressure after a disappointing 1–1 draw with Egypt in their opener. Iran, led by Amir Ghalenoei, had also drawn their opening match 2–2 with Australia in an entertaining encounter, and again showed they could trouble higher-ranked opposition.

Iran started brightly and came close in the 14th minute. A long throw caused chaos in the Belgian box before the ball fell to Hossein Kanaanizadegan, who swivelled and struck a low volley toward Thibaut Courtois’s right. The Belgian goalkeeper reacted sharply to push it away.

Ten minutes later came one of the game’s biggest moments. From a 35-yard free kick, Ehsan Hajsafi disguised a clever reverse pass into the box, finding Mehdi Taremi. The Olympiacos striker turned and finished low past Courtois, sparking wild celebrations from Iranian fans in Los Angeles. However, VAR ruled the goal out for a marginal offside.

The match remained 0–0 at half-time, though Iran continued to look dangerous from set pieces. Early in the second half, substitute Alireza Jahanbakhsh launched another long throw that was flicked into Taremi’s path. The striker again turned quickly and forced Courtois into a strong save, with Belgium’s defence struggling to contain him.

Belgium’s best opportunity came in the 59th minute. Leandro Trossard delivered a superb lofted pass across the six-yard box, finding Maxim De Cuyper in space, but Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand produced a remarkable reaction save with his left hand to keep the score level.

The game turned dramatically in the 65th minute when Belgium were reduced to ten men. Nathan Ngoy miscontrolled under pressure from Taremi, allowing the Iranian forward to break through on goal. Ngoy hauled him down to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity, leaving the referee with no choice but to show a straight red card.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Belgium held firm in the closing stages and even threatened a late winner. However, Iran remained dangerous throughout and will feel they missed a major opportunity to take all three points.

Belgium face New Zealand in Vancouver next, while Iran meet Egypt in Seattle on Saturday at 6am (Bahrain time). Both sides still have strong hopes of reaching the Round of 32.