Beiranvand Stands Tall as Belgium and Iran Draw 0-0 at the World Cup

LOS ANGELES — Twenty-three shots. One red card. One disallowed goal. Zero goals that counted. Belgium and Iran played out a 0-0 draw at SoFi Stadium on Sunday that felt like a heist movie in which the vault stayed locked, and the man holding the key was a 33-year-old goalkeeper named Alireza Beiranvand.

For Belgium, the draw was a gut check. For Iran, it was another point in a tournament where it has refused to be written off. The two sides finished level on two points in Group G, and the group will be decided on the final matchday.

Belgium All the Ball, Iran All the Nerve

The numbers tell a lopsided story. According to Sky Sports, Belgium produced 23 shots and an expected-goals total of 1.8. The Guardian's reporter noted that at one point the stadium's wraparound screen read 15 shots to four in Belgium's favor. Sky noted it was Belgium's most shots in a World Cup game without scoring since 1994, when it had 28 against Saudi Arabia.

Kevin De Bruyne glittered in flashes, none more graciously than when he cushioned Leandro Trossard's lifted pass on the byline. But Iran carried a threat of its own: Thibaut Courtois had to be alert to a bouncing effort from Hossein Kanaanizadegan midway through the first half, and later made an instinctive save from Mehdi Taremi after an Iran long throw. This was not a siege so much as a tug-of-war.

The Goal That Wasn't

Iran believed it had the lead in the 25th minute. After a free-kick routine started by Ehsan Hajsafi, Taremi finished with a precise strike that beat Courtois in what the Guardian described as slow motion. Then came the video review: Taremi was offside, and the goal was ruled out. The Guardian likened the routine to the one that Wout Weghorst finished against Argentina four years ago. It was a good set piece with a bad ending.

The Save

Everyone who watched the match will remember one moment, and it is difficult to describe without sounding like you are exaggerating. Approaching the hour, De Bruyne rolled a cross in from the byline, and Beiranvand, seesawing to his left as he tried to cut it out, was scrambling on the turf and effectively out of the play when Ali Nemati's block dropped the ball to Maxim De Cuyper inside the six-yard box with the goal gaping. The goalkeeper stuck out a strong left hand, shut the door in De Cuyper's face and smothered the ball.

The Guardian said there was simply no debate about the moment of the match. Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei did not undersell his goalkeeper. "Beiranvand is one of our greatest goalkeepers in the history of Iranian football," he said. "He is extremely experienced, intelligent and he had one of his best days. He had the right concentration and he gave us one very valuable point – even though we could have had three points."

Beiranvand is no stranger to the big stage. At 33, he is the goalkeeper who saved a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty at the 2018 World Cup, and on Sunday he added another reel to the collection.

Ngoy Sees Red

The match tilted in the 66th minute. Nathan Ngoy, trying to play the ball back, miskicked, and when Taremi raced onto the loose ball, the Belgium defender brought him down. Referee Dario Herrera showed a straight red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, and Belgium was suddenly a man short with 24 minutes plus stoppage time to find a winner.

What happened next should worry Belgium. Even with 10, the Red Devils kept pushing and kept shooting. The sharpness was missing. The Guardian pointed out that Romelu Lukaku, making his first start for club or country in more than 12 months, huffed and puffed in attack, and that Jérémy Doku was absent through illness. Beiranvand, meanwhile, was alert to another De Cuyper effort with stoppage time looming, and Iran's Saeid Ezatolahi had a full-throttle shot of his own after De Bruyne gave the ball away deep in his own half.

The Tournament Context

This is a team that has now taken 38 shots across its first two games in the United States without scoring a goal of its own. The Guardian noted that Belgium's only goal of the tournament so far had come courtesy of Egyptian defender Mohamed Hany. And the larger context hurts: the same report put Belgium's major-tournament record at two wins from its last nine matches and one from its last six, the lone victory coming against Romania at Euro 2024.

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia did not dodge the pressure. "Sometimes when you have to win, sometimes that's the best situation," he said. "Obviously we had wished to start better. But, just like cyclists, we have to keep pedalling on and on and show we deserve to move on to the round of 32." Belgium still controls its own fate: a win over New Zealand will do it, but any other result leaves its progress in doubt.

Iran's Resilience

Iran has not had an easy road to this tournament. The Guardian reported that Iran has refused to wilt under restrictions imposed by FIFA and the United States, and that both of its group matches had been played in Los Angeles. Ghalenoei talked after the game about the logistics: "Sixteen hours [to prepare in LA], two flights and a heavy game, I don't think any team in the world could sustain such conditions and play like this."

Iran is still chasing a first trip to the World Cup knockout stages, and the Guardian framed this draw as another step toward it. Ghalenoei's closing point was a reminder that this team left feeling it could have taken more.

What It Means

For Belgium, the story is simple and uncomfortable. It has the players, the possession and the shots. It has not had the finish. A 0-0 draw against a resilient Iran team is not a disaster. Combined with what came before it, it is a warning.

For Iran, it is a point earned honestly. Not every World Cup moment is a goal. Sometimes the best one is a hand shooting out from a goalkeeper who was supposed to be out of the picture.

The Close

Football is cruel in the way it distributes its rewards. Belgium got the shots, the possession and the last 24 minutes a man short, and walked away with a single point. Iran got a goalkeeper at full stretch, a hand in the right place and a point of its own. Both take one into the last game. Only one of them will say it deserved more.

Photo Credit: Oliver Figueroa-Celi/Undrafted