On Sunday in Los Angeles, 10-man Belgium huffed and puffed and just about managed to escape with a 1-1 draw against a defiant Iran, as both of these teams met in their first encounter on the international stage.
And once again, it was a goalkeeper who stole the headlines. But it’s not the one you think.
The beginning of the match saw relentless pressure from the Red Devils but Iran held on, and every so often it even created counter-attacking opportunities, especially from set pieces. In fact, it was only the offside call that took away a smart Iranian free kick after catching Belgium napping.
The warning signs were definitely there for Rudy Garcia’s men, and it turned into desperation after Nathan Ngoy received a red card in the 65th minute after fouling Iran’s captain Mehdi Taremi. After that, a less-than-par performance turned into a calamitous one as the European side fought to salvage a draw.
For Iran, it was a magnificent display of defensive will and resilience and at time of writing, it is the west Asian side who leads Group G until at least later tonight when New Zealand faces Egypt.
For Belgium, its disappointing World Cup campaign continues.
1. Heroic Defense From Beiranvand And Iran
(Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)
Iran’s strategy was to form a low-block tactic, placing five men at the back. Aside from that, there was protection from its midfield, so at any Belgian opportunity in the final third that Belgium, Amir Ghalenoei’s team was there to shut it down.
It also did a smart thing by only limiting Belgium to crossing from deep areas and by the time the ball reached Iran’s box, there was plenty of protection to clear it.
It even had a fantastic chance in the 53rd minute after Alireza Jahanbakhsh launched a throw-in to captain Mehdi Taremi, who delivered a tremendous volley, forcing Thibaut Courtois to make a quintessential stop.
Then, in the 58th minute, Alireza Beiranvand made a ridiculously impressive save of his own from close range to deny a close effort from Maxim De Cuyper. He did it again from the same player in the 85th minute. He was simply tremendous throughout the game.
Iran’s Alireza Beiranvand makes remarkable save, keeping score level vs Belgium | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
A brave, deserved point from Iran, which probably should have been three after Ngoy’s sending off.
2. Lukaku can’t lead this line from the start
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Romelu Lukaku, limited this past season with Napoli but returned to the national team’s starting XI after playing a pivotal factor in his team’s 1-1 draw against Egypt, was caught up in a controversial decision early on as the 33-year-old forward aggressively collided with Beiranvand after attempting to score inside the box. Lukaku missed and ended up hurting the keeper, but the argument here is that it was a 50-50 battle, and he had every right to go for the ball, despite hurting the stopper. As a result, he only received a yellow, but some thought that it should have been a sending off.
Regardless, he stayed on and, quite honestly, he provided very little. You can just see that his lack of mobility hurt Belgium because it was easier to mark him or protect the goal.
He had a great opportunity in the second half but was too slow to turn and finish.
Belgium needs a mobile attacker. Someone who can create more problems for Iran—or any opponent. Lukaku, the legendary Belgian forward, sadly isn’t it right now.
3. Belgian fans should be worried
(Photo by Alex Livesey – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Belgium once again produced a flat performance. In fact, it is probably one of the most uninspiring teams at this World Cup when you consider the players at Garcia’s disposal. It was hopeful rather than clinical. Nervous rather than willing.
Part of it was also the strategy, where Kevin de Bruyne is asked to do so much, playing right behind the striker but with no cohesion. Youri Tielemans, who had a magnificent season with Aston Villa, was very quiet and the disconnected lines between midfield and attack were very evident.
4. Jeremy Doku’s absence was obvious
(Photo by Ercin Erturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Man City winger did not play due to illness (it was not because of the other talking point where he was unjustly criticized for aiming to leave camp in order to be present at the birth of his first child) and when he is not in the lineup, Belgium are extremely one dimensional.
Doku is wonderful when going forward, causing headache over headache against his opposing defenders due to his direct runs and Belgium just don’t have enough of those weapons.
When he doesn’t play, the drop in attacking quality severely increases.
4 ½. What’s next
There is all to play for on the final match day of Group G as Belgium will head to Vancouver for a massive match against New Zealand on Friday night at 11pm ET, whilst Iran faces Egypt at the same time.
Belgium vs Iran Extended Highlights | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
Read the full article here
