On June 22, in a Group G match held at the Los Angeles Stadium in California, Iran managed to hold Belgium to a 0-0 tie.
According to Yonhap News, Belgium was without key forward Jeremy Doku, who missed the game due to respiratory infection symptoms.
Despite efforts led by Romelu Lukaku and veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne to find openings, they were thwarted by Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.
Iran countered with a promising opportunity in the 25th minute when they earned a free kick near the right side of the penalty arc. Mehdi Taremi received a short pass from Ehsan Hajsafi and struck the ball with his left foot, seemingly scoring from straight in front of the goal.
However, a video review (VAR) revealed that Taremi was slightly ahead of Belgium's last defender at the time of the free kick, resulting in the goal being disallowed.
Both teams threatened the goal after the start of the second half.
In the 50th minute, Alexis Saelemaekers of Belgium had a right-footed volley from the right side of the goal area that hit the side netting. Just three minutes later, Taremi's right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area was saved by the Belgian goalkeeper.
Belgium faced a setback in the 66th minute when Ngoy was sent off. Near the midfield, Ngoy attempted a back pass to the goalkeeper but misplayed the ball, allowing Taremi to challenge for it. Ngoy fouled Taremi, leading the referee to issue a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Belgium substituted Lukaku, who had been ineffective, for defender Arthur Theate, but ultimately settled for a draw without scoring.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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