Iran's defensive wall frustrates Belgium's attack; red card forces Belgium to sit back in second half

Iran's Mehdi Taremi is brought down by Belgium defender Nathan Ngoie during their Group G second-round match at Los Angeles Stadium in California on Monday. [AFP]
Iran's Mehdi Taremi is brought down by Belgium defender Nathan Ngoie during their Group G second-round match at Los Angeles Stadium in California on Monday. [AFP]

Iran held Belgium to a scoreless draw at the 2026 North America World Cup.

The two sides played out a 0-0 stalemate in their Group G second-round match at Los Angeles Stadium in California on Monday.

The draw left both teams with two draws apiece, pushing their first win to the final group stage match.

Both teams had drawn their opening matches and desperately needed a win to advance to the knockout round, setting the stage for an intense clash from the opening minutes. Belgium were without key attacker Jeremy Doku, who was left out of the squad due to a respiratory infection.

As Iran set up a deep defensive block with a counter-attacking approach, Belgium looked to tall striker Romelu Lukaku and veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne to find gaps. In the ninth minute, Maxim De Cuyper fired a right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area, only to be denied by a brilliant save from Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.

Iran hit back in the 25th minute when Mehdi Taremi collected a short pass from a free kick near the right side of the penalty arc from Ehsan Hajsafi and struck the net with his left foot from directly in front of goal. A VAR review ruled the goal offside, however, and the score remained level.

Belgium, relieved to escape, kept pressing and came close again in the 44th minute when De Cuyper cut into the left side of the goal area and struck a left-footed volley that hit the goalkeeper's body and bounced clear, leaving the first half scoreless.

Belgium dominated possession 81 percent to 19 and outshot Iran 11 to 2 — with two shots on target to Iran's one — in the first half, yet could not break through Iran's defensive wall.

Belgium's one-sided pressure was halted in the 66th minute when they were reduced to 10 men. Nathan Ngoie grabbed Taremi as the Iranian forward tried to intercept a back pass to the goalkeeper, and the referee sent Ngoie off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

A man down, Belgium switched to a defensive shape, and the match ended without a goal.

Iran's Mehdi Taremi celebrates what he believed was his team's opening goal, only for a VAR review to rule it out for offside. [AFP]
Iran's Mehdi Taremi celebrates what he believed was his team's opening goal, only for a VAR review to rule it out for offside. [AFP]

yjc@heraldcorp.com