Beiranvand Heroics Earn Iran Valuable Draw Against Belgium in Group G Thriller

Belgium dominated proceedings but were denied a crucial win as Alireza Beiranvand produced a sensational goalkeeping display to keep Iran’s knockout-stage hopes alive.

The Belgians started brightly, showing attacking intent and putting pressure on Iran early. With Romelu Lukaku leading the line, Belgium looked to exploit the wings with constant crosses, but despite controlling possession and creating chances, they lacked the finishing touch in the final third.

Iran thought they had taken the lead through a brilliant set-piece routine. Captain Ehsan Hajsafi disguised a reverse pass into Mehdi Taremi’s path, and the striker calmly finished past Thibaut Courtois. However, the goal was ruled out for offside, cutting Iran’s celebrations short.

Belgium continued to dominate, but Iran’s compact defensive shape made life difficult for the Belgian attackers. Whenever they did find a way through, Beiranvand stood tall.

The Iranian goalkeeper produced one of the saves of the match in the second half. Leandro Trossard found Kevin De Bruyne, who delivered a dangerous ball across the box, but Maxim De Cuyper’s close-range effort was denied by a brilliant Beiranvand reaction save.

Belgium’s hopes took a blow when Julien Ngoy was shown a red card after bringing down Taremi, who was through on goal. The dismissal came at the worst possible time, just as Belgium were piling pressure on Iran’s defence.

The red card added to a remarkable disciplinary trend at the 2026 World Cup, with eight red cards already shown in the group stage  matching the combined total from the 2018 and 2022 editions.

Even with 10 men, Belgium continued to push for a winner, but Beiranvand remained unbeatable, once again denying De Cuyper in the closing stages.

It was a complete defensive performance from Iran, with Beiranvand acting as the final wall between Belgium and victory. Despite creating more chances and controlling the game, Belgium could not find a way past the Iranian defence.

With all three Group G matches ending in draws, the battle for the knockout places remains wide open, setting up a thrilling conclusion to the group stage.