Belgium vs Iran: Scoreless Draw in Entertaining Match

Live score: Belgium vs IR Iran

By Henry Hanson

FT: Belgium 0 - 0 Iran

By Henry Hanson

A mighty defensive display earns Iran a point against Belgium, with Team Melli shot stopper Alireza Beiranvand adding to the slew of brilliant goalkeeping performances we've seen in North America.

Beiranvand's finest moment came midway through the second period, when he got down to deny Belgian fullback Maxim De Cuyper from point-blank range.

The wind was well and truly taken out of Belgium's sale not long after that Beiranvand intervention, when defender Nathan Ngoy saw red for a last man challenge on Mehdi Taremi.

However, Iran was unable to ram home its man-advantage as the made its way to an entertaining scoreless draw.

It's far from a disastrous result for either team, and both will remain confident of progression from Group G.

90+5' Was that the chance!?

By Henry Hanson

Dodi Lukébakio is in possession on the edge of the penalty area, and does well to glide infield and manufacture some room for a left-footed curler.

The ball flies just wide of the post and that, well, that should be that in LA.

90+2' Belgium pushing forward

By Henry Hanson

It's Iran with the man advantage, but it's Belgium flooding forward as we move deep into stoppage time.

There's an opening for substitute Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who opens up and lets fly from range.

It's well wide.

90' We're into five minutes of added time

By Henry Hanson

89' Some showboating from the Iranian GK

By Henry Hanson

Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand has played wonderfully today, but he's surely tempting fate here.

Belgium plays a ball over the top, Beiranvand charges out of his penalty area, controls the ball with his chest and breezes his way through a couple Belgian bodies before getting his pass away.

85' Iran messes up its substitution

By Henry Hanson

But Team Melli makes a meal of the substitution, with Ehsan Hajsafi taking too long to go off, meaning Iran is momentarily a man down as well.

Milad Mohammadi will come on at the next break in play

But before he can, Belgium streams forward, with Maxim De Cuyper once again testing Alireza Beiranvand in the Iranian goal.

82' A long-range effort for Iran

By Henry Hanson

Kevin de Bruyne loses the ball inside his own half, and Saeid Ezatolahi has space and time to fire off a long-range effort.

It's on target and relatively well hit, with Thibaut Courtois getting down and batting the ball away.

Does Iran have enough quality to truly trouble the Belgian backline in these final moments?

75' We're back for the game's final act

By Henry Hanson

And what an opportunity this is for Iran.

Having defended so admirably throughout the afternoon in California, Team Melli is now the side pressing forward, looking to ram home its man advantage as Belgium drops deep.

70' We've reached the second-half hydration break

By Henry Hanson

And this game has just been turned on its head.

Rudi Garcia turns to his bench to account for the dismissal of Nathan Ngoy, bringing on defender Arthur Theate in place of battering-ram centre-forward Romelu Lukaku.

A few moments ago, prior to that sending off, Garcia had made a triple substitution, with Hans Vanaken, Dodi Lukébakio and Timothy Castagne all coming on in place of Nicolas Raskin, Alexis Saelemaekers and Thomas Meunier.

It looks like Lukébakio is leading the line in Lukaku's absence.

RED CARD FOR BELGIUM!

By Henry Hanson

Oh gosh.

It's a terrible moment for Nathan Ngoy.

The Belgian defender is in possession on halfway and looks to play a back pass to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, but it is horribly, horribly under hit.

Mehdi Taremi is very clever to run across Ngoy, who panics and pulls the Iranian forward backwards.

With Taremi through on goal, it's a clear denial of a goal scoring of opportunities, and, unfortunately for Belgium, a red card as clear as the California sky.

How that changes things.

59' How hasn't Belgium scored there!

By Henry Hanson

What a remarkable intervention from Alireza Beiranvand.

Kevin de Bruyne takes the sweetest of touches to control a floated ball deep in the penalty area, before squaring the ball across the six-yard box.

It evades Romelu Lukaku but rebounds off a white shirt and falls invitingly to Maxim De Cuyper, who looks destined to score from point-blank range.

However, Iranian shot stopper Beiranvand produces one of the saves of the tournament to deny the fullback, scrambling to his left and throwing out an almighty left arm.

55' Lukaku's touch deserts him

By Henry Hanson

He's got into some good positions, but he's just looked a little off the pace today, has Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgian spearhead's latest contribution to the game comes in the penalty area, where a heavy touch sees a half-chance get away from him.

53' A warning sign for Belgium!

By Henry Hanson

Iran breaks forward for the first time in the half, and Belgium is caught napping at the back.

Mehdi Taremi is on hand to snap an effort towards goal, but it's too close to Thibaut Courtois, and the Belgian custodian makes a routine save.

That's Iran's first shot on target since the 14th minute of the game.

50' Chance Belgium! Sweet hit!

By Henry Hanson

Kevin de Bruyne lofts in a tempting corner and Alexis Saelemaekers is all alone at the back post.

Saelemaekers catches the volley sweetly, but it's off target and into the side netting.

48' A painful one for Trossard

By Henry Hanson

Leandro Trossard cops a really painful one from the newly arrived Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who rakes his studs down the back of Trossard's leg.

The Arsenal man is down for some time and this one feels like a decision that could be sent to VAR for further inspection.

But it's not, and Jahanbakhsh escapes a booking.

Trossard gingerly returns to his feet.

We're back underway

By Henry Hanson

And Iran has made a half-time substitution, with Alireza Jahanbakhsh coming on for Saleh Hardani.

I'd imagine that means Team Melli will be moving from a back five to a back four, with Jahanbakhsh taking up a more forward position on the right.

HT stats

By Henry Hanson

Belgium, unsurprisingly, well on top across the half-time statistics.

Expected goals: BEL 0.90 - 0.14 IRA

Shots: BEL 11 - 2 IRA

Shots on target: BEL 4 - 1 IRA

Accurate passes: BEL 322 - 50 IRA

Possession BEL 81% - 19% IRA

We're not far away from the start of the second half in California.

HT: Belgium 0 - 0 Iran

By Henry Hanson

For all their possession, territory and neat passing at the edge of the penalty, the Belgians didn't create too much of note in that first period.

Romelu Lukaku made a nuisance of himself in the penalty area, but looked to be lacking sharpness after a six-month stretch with next to no first-team football.

Iran, meanwhile, was very well organised defensively and consistently managed to get white shirts between the ball and the goal.

And it was Team Melli that conjured the moment of the first half, with Mehdi Taremi only denied an opening goal by the finest of margins.

The Iranian veteran had turned the ball into the net after a slick set-piece routine, but the goal was ruled out by VAR, with Taremi caught offside by his protruding backside.

We have an intriguing second 45 ahead of us.