Iran used seven saves from Alireza Beiranvand and a man advantage from a red card in Belgium to draw 0-0 in the second straight tie for both teams in World Cup Group G on Sunday afternoon in Inglewood, California.
Beiranvand, 33, kept his second clean sheet in his seventh appearance in three World Cups. He also made six saves in Iran’s opening 2-2 draw against New Zealand.
Iran went up a man in the 66th minute when Belgium’s Nathan Ngoy was sent off for pulling down an Iranian forward after a poorly weighted back pass to the keeper presented a goal-scoring opportunity.
Even though Iran played with 10 men for the final 30 minutes of the game, they still had just 32% of possession, were outshot 7-3 in shots on goal, and outshot 608-269.
Even down a man, Belgium had the best scoring chance for the rest of the game, with Beiranvand diving to the ground to stop a shot from Maxim De Cuyper, who had four shots on target, in the 86th minute.
The second draw in a row gives both Belgium and Iran two points through two Group G games. While each would still advance with a win on the final matchday on June 26, it leaves the door open for either New Zealand or Egypt to move top if either wins Sunday night’s game in Vancouver.
Belgium face New Zealand in Vancouver on the final day of Group G play, while Iran face Egypt in Seattle at the same time.
While Belgium controlled the game early on, Iran had the more threatening chances. They looked set to take the lead in the 25th minute when Mehdi Taremi put a slow-rolling set-piece through the Belgian wall into the net. VAR overturned the goal for both an offside call and intervention from Taremi.
An earlier chance required a diving stop by Thibaut Courtois (three saves) in the 14th minute.
In the 53rd minute, Taremi had a pointless shot in the box but ripped it straight at Courtois, who caught it to keep the game scoreless.
Beiranvand made four saves in the first half, but none were as threatening as Iran’s early chances.
Beiranvand had to raise his level of play with his first save of the second half, putting out a hand while on the ground to stop a 59th-minute De Cuyper shot from close range and secure the ensuing loose ball.
