4 Highlights from the goalless draw between Belgium and Iran at the World Cup
Belgium played out a 1-1 draw with Iran in a tense World Cup match, with both teams showing off defensive tactics. Key players such as Alireza Beiranvand and Romelu Lukaku have been in the spotlight for their performances.
On Sunday in Los Angeles, the Belgians struggled and barely escaped with a 1-1 draw against Iran, in their first meeting on the international stage. Once again, the goalkeeper has become the center of attention, but not the one you might think. The match started with relentless pressure from the Belgian team, but Iran held out tenaciously and occasionally created counter-attack opportunities, especially from set-piece situations. In fact, only the offside decision ruled out a clever free kick by Iran after catching Belgium by surprise. The warnings were clear for coach Rudy Garcia's team, and the situation became desperate after Nathan Ngoy received a red card in the 65th minute after fouling Iran captain Mehdi Taremi. Then a poor performance turned into a disaster as the European side tried to salvage a draw. For Iran, it was an outstanding display of defensive will and resilience, and at the time of writing, the West Asian side are leading Group G at least until the evening when New Zealand take on Egypt. For Belgium, their disappointing World Cup campaign continues. Iran's strategy is to create a strong defense system, with five people in the defensive line. Additionally, there is protection from the midfield, so any chance of Belgium in the area is ultimately prevented. They also did the smart thing of limiting Belgium to crosses from deep areas, and when the ball reached Iran's penalty area, there was plenty of protection to clear the danger. They even had a great chance in the 53rd minute after Alireza Jahanbakhsh made a throw-in for captain Mehdi Taremi, who curled in a superb volley, forcing Thibaut Courtois into a fine save. Then, in the 58th minute, Alireza Beiranvand made an impressive save from close range to deny Maxim De Cuyper a close shot. He did it again from the same player in the 85th minute. He was absolutely brilliant throughout the match. A deserved point for Iran, which probably should have been three after Ngoy was sent off. Romelu Lukaku, who had a limited season with Napoli but returned to the national team's first team after playing a key role in the 1-1 draw with Egypt, was embroiled in a controversial decision from the start. The 33-year-old striker collided hard with Beiranvand when trying to score in the penalty area. Lukaku missed and ended up hurting the goalkeeper, but the argument here is a 50-50 fight, and he had the right to win the ball, despite harming the goalkeeper. As a result, he only received a yellow card, but some people think it should have been a red card. Regardless, he remained on the field and, in truth, didn't contribute much. You can clearly see that his lack of mobility disadvantages Belgium as it is easier to mark him or defend the goal. He had a great chance in the second half but was too slow to turn and finish. Belgium needs a more versatile attacking player. Someone could create more problems for Iran - or any adversary. Lukaku, the legendary Belgian striker, is sadly not that right now. Belgium once again produced a bland performance. In fact, this could be one of the least attractive teams at this World Cup when considering the players Garcia has at his disposal. They seem more hopeful than accurate. More nervous than ready. Partly it's also strategic, where Kevin de Bruyne is asked to do a lot, playing right behind the striker but without any cohesion. Youri Tielemans, who has had a great season with Aston Villa, was very quiet and the gaps between midfield and attack were very clear. The Manchester City winger did not play due to illness (not least because he was unfairly criticized for wanting to leave camp to be present at the birth of his first child) and when he was not in the squad, Belgium became extremely one-sided. Doku is great going forward, causing problems for opposition defenders with his straight runs and Belgium don't have enough of those weapons. When he does not play, the decrease in attack quality is very obvious. There's plenty to play for on the final day of Group G as Belgium will travel to Vancouver for a big match against New Zealand on Friday night at 11pm ET, while Iran will take on Egypt at the same time.
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