Iran holds Belgium to 0-0 draw with Beiranvand decisive and Ngoy sent off

Your World Cup ticket cost dearly, and Belgium still hasn't delivered anything to justify the price. This Sunday (21), the Belgians drew for the second consecutive time — now 0-0 with Iran in Los Angeles — reached two points in two matches and depend on victory in the final game to avoid early elimination in Group G. Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made seven saves and was the man of the match; on the other side, defender Nathan Ngoy received a straight red card in the 66th minute after committing a foul on Mehdi Taremi that denied the attacker a clear goal-scoring opportunity. ✓

Belgium had 56% possession and shot 21 times compared to Iran's seven, but could not convert territorial dominance into goals. Iran did score in the first half from a well-worked free-kick by Taremi, but the goal was ruled out for offside detected by VAR in the 25th minute. Ngoy's expulsion changed the scenario: he miskicked a back pass to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and, attempting to recover, brought down Taremi when the striker had a clear path to goal — Argentine referee Darío Herrera did not hesitate to show the red card, framing the play as DOGSO (Denial of Obvious Goal-Scoring Opportunity). ✓

With an extra man from the 66th minute, Iran could have sought a more offensive posture, but preferred to maintain defensive compactness and rely on occasional breakaways. Beiranvand remained decisive: he made a spectacular save on a shot by Maxime De Cuyper after a play by Kevin De Bruyne and shone again in the final minutes on a powerful shot from the same De Cuyper from the edge of the box. The performance of the 33-year-old goalkeeper — who is playing in his third World Cup after 2018 and 2022 — was celebrated by the large Persian community in Los Angeles, which packed the stands at SoFi Stadium. ✓

The draw leaves Group G completely open. Iran and Belgium have two points; Egypt and New Zealand, who faced each other on Sunday night, had one point each before the round. In the final round on the 27th, Belgium faces New Zealand in Vancouver seeking their first victory in the tournament, while Iran takes on Egypt in Seattle seeking unprecedented qualification to the knockout stage — something the Asian team has never achieved in their previous participations. According to the website thesoccerworldcups.com, before 2026 Belgium and Iran had faced each other only once in World Cups, also in a goalless draw. ✓