Beiranvand stars as Iran hold 10-man Belgium to keep World Cup hopes alive

Alireza Beiranvand carried Iran through a tense 0-0 draw with 10-man Belgium in Inglewood, Calif., making seven saves as Iran kept alive its bid to reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time. Belgium’s night changed in the 66th minute when Nathan Ngoy was shown a straight red card for hauling down Mehdi Taremi after a poor back pass, but even with the man advantage Iran had to withstand late pressure and a final push from a side that failed to turn control into a breakthrough.

The 33-year-old Beiranvand delivered the sort of performance that can redefine a tournament path. He earned his second clean sheet in his seventh World Cup appearance, after also making six saves in Iran’s opening 2-2 draw with New Zealand, and he was sharp from the start, finishing the first half with four saves. His most important stop came in the 86th minute, when he dropped to deny Maxim De Cuyper from close range and then gathered the loose ball before Belgium could pounce.

Iran also had chances to turn resilience into a win. Mehdi Taremi thought he had opened the scoring in the 25th minute when he finished a set-piece move through the Belgium wall, only for VAR to rule the goal out for offside and Taremi’s encroachment. Thibaut Courtois kept Belgium level with a diving save in the 14th minute, then held a Taremi shot from point-blank range in the 53rd, while Beiranvand matched that standard by stopping a low De Cuyper effort in the 59th minute.

The result left both Iran and Belgium on two points from two Group G matches, with neither side able to claim the advantage it needed. Iran will face Egypt in Seattle on June 26, while Belgium meet New Zealand in Vancouver the same day, and both still have a route through if they win. For Belgium, the missed chance to punish Iran while a man up will sting; for Iran, Beiranvand’s composure and the back line’s discipline kept a historic knockout chase alive.