2026 FIFA World Cup — Group G, Matchday 2 | June 21 | SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles

INGLEWOOD, California — The final whistle blew. Alireza Beiranvand dropped to his knees. His shirt was streaked with grass and sweat. The scoreboard read 0-0.

But everyone inside SoFi Stadium knew the truth. This point was not a gift from Belgium. It was ripped from their hands — one save at a time, seven in total, by a goalkeeper who played the game of his life.

Belgium had 23 shots. Seven on target. Nearly 80 percent possession. And they scored zero goals.

Beiranvand: A Perfect 10

The Iranian goalkeeper was awarded a perfect 10 out of 10 by post-match ratings. He is one of only three players at this World Cup to receive such a score — the others being Lionel Messi for his hat-trick, and Cape Verde’s Romão for his 15 saves against Spain.

The defining moment came in the 59th minute. Kevin De Bruyne’s cross from the left was blocked, but the ball fell to Maxim De Cuyper inside the six-yard box. From point-blank range, De Cuyper fired. Beiranvand, already on the ground, threw himself sideways and tipped the ball away with his fingertips.

Seventy thousand people gasped.

BBC’s match report put it simply: “Beiranvand single-handedly shut out a Belgium side worth over €500 million.”

Ngoyi’s Red Card: A Moment of Madness

The 66th minute. Belgium defender Nathan Ngoyi received the ball at the back. His back-pass was criminally under-hit. Mehdi Taremi pounced, stealing the ball and bearing down on goal. Ngoyi, as the last man, grabbed Taremi and pulled him down.

Red card. Direct dismissal.

Belgium were reduced to 10 men. For the final 24 minutes, they could barely attack. The red card did not cost them the win — they had already failed to score for 66 minutes with 11 men. But it killed any hope of a late breakthrough.

“Any professional footballer could make that mistake,” one fan wrote. “It’s pure brainlessness.”

Taremi: Goal Disallowed, Red Card Won

In the 25th minute, Iran thought they had taken the lead. Ehsan Hajsafi stood over a free-kick. Instead of crossing, he threaded a clever pass through the wall. Taremi, timing his run perfectly, slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

The Iranian fans erupted. The celebrations were cut short.

VAR intervened. Taremi was ruled offside — by the finest of margins. The goal was disallowed.

But Taremi did not let his head drop. In the second half, his relentless pressing forced Ngoyi’s catastrophic error. He may not have scored, but he won Iran the red card that secured the point.

Iran’s Gauntlet

Iran played this match under conditions that bordered on the absurd.

Their team base camp is not in the United States. It is in Tijuana, Mexico. Every match requires a five-hour cross-border journey: Mexican exit checks, a flight to the match city, US immigration and customs, and a bus ride to the stadium. Belgium’s hotel was a 20-minute bus ride away.

Iran were allowed to enter the United States only the day before the match. They had less than 16 hours to prepare. Fifteen delegation members were denied visas — including the president of the Iranian Football Federation. The team had no media officers at the match; their post-match press duties were handled by the team analyst.

“We are the most oppressed team at this World Cup,” said head coach Amir Ghalenoei.

But when asked whether these difficulties affected the team’s performance, he gave only one answer: “We will not use them as an excuse.”

Group G Standings

All four teams in Group G now sit on two points. Iran lead the group on goals scored.

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Iran 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 2
2 Belgium 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
3 Egypt 2 0 2 0 3 3 0 2
4 New Zealand 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 2

Match Details:

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