The Belgium national team fell into the trap of a goalless draw against Iran, in the match that brought them together in the 2026 World Cup, after being unable to translate its control and chances into goals.
The Belgian team started the match with early pressure, and got a first chance in the second minute from the right side, before Romelu Lukaku received a yellow card in the third minute after his collision with Iranian goalkeeper Peravan, which led to the game being stopped for a short period due to the latter’s injury.
Kevin De Bruyne tried to shoot from outside the penalty area in the seventh minute, but his ball went wide, before Beiravan excelled in the ninth minute against a dangerous Belgian attempt that began with a cross from Trossard, then a shot from De Bruyne entered the Iranian defense to clear it, before the ball returned to De Kuper, who shot, but the Iranian goalkeeper made a brilliant save.
The Iranian national team responded with a dangerous opportunity in the 14th minute, after the ball was prepared for Kanaani inside the penalty area following a corner kick, and he shot a ball that was narrowly deflected by Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois into a corner kick.
The Belgian attempts continued, as Trossard passed in the 16th minute and distributed a ball that was difficultly cleared by the Iranian defense, then Peravane intervened again in the 19th minute against a dangerous cross from Meunier. In the 22nd minute, Tielemans wasted the opportunity to open the scoring after he shot towards the corner, but the Iranian goalkeeper blocked the ball.
In the 25th minute, Mehdi Taremi scored a goal for Iran, but the referee canceled it after reviewing the video technology, leaving the goalless tie remaining. After a short pause to cool down, the Belgian team continued its possession of the ball without apparent effectiveness, as its possession percentage during the last 15 minutes of the first half reached 77.97%, compared to 22.03% for Iran, without this being translated into goals.
Before the end of the first half, Belgium tried again through De Bruyne and Lukaku, but the Iranian defense intervened at the right time, and the first half ended in a 0-0 draw.
In the second half, Belgium started better. De Bruyne shot a ball in the 46th minute, but the defense narrowly deflected it to a corner. Then he executed a free kick in the 49th minute, but Nemati deflected it to a corner. Salmaekers also tried with a shot on the bird in the 50th minute, before Trossard’s header went wide in the 52nd minute.
In the 53rd minute, Courtois saved Belgium from a dangerous opportunity after blocking Taremi’s shot, before Belgium wasted a strange opportunity in the 57th minute, after De Bruyne passed a ball towards Lukebakio and Lukaku, and De Cupert’s shot hit an empty goal, but Bearavane miraculously intervened.
The Belgian national team made substitutions in the 58th minute, with the entry of Hans Vanaken, Dodi Lukebakio and Timothy Castagne, before Lukebakio shot a powerful ball in the 62nd minute, which Peravane blocked. The ball was then prepared for De Bruyne, who put it far from the net.
Belgium’s task became more difficult in the 66th minute after Nathan Ngovi was sent off, while the Iranian national team made two substitutions with Milad Mohammadi and Mehdi Torabi entering. After another cooling-off stop, the Belgium national team brought on Arthur Thiete to replace Romelu Lukaku in the 73rd minute.
Iran tried to take advantage of the numerical deficiency, and Mohammadi’s cross went wide from Taremi in the 76th minute, then Saeed Ezzatullah had an opportunity in the 80th minute with a powerful shot, but Courtois blocked it brilliantly.
In the last minutes, Belgium intensified its attempts despite the numerical shortage. De Bruyne sent a cross in the 84th minute, and the Iranian goalkeeper intervened brilliantly, before the ball was prepared for Tielemans, who tried to no avail. Then De Cupert wasted Belgium’s best chance in the 86th minute with a shot that was blocked again by Peravane.
The Belgian deficit continued until stoppage time, as Trossard tried in the 90th + 2th minute without success, before Lukebakio shot in the 90th + 5th minute from outside the penalty area, a ball that passed sideways.
The match ended in a 0-0 draw, after a confrontation that witnessed dangerous opportunities and clear brilliance from goalkeepers Beiravan and Courtois.
