LOS ANGELES: Ten-man Belgium were held to a 0-0 draw by Iran in their World Cup Group G match in Los Angeles on Sunday as they failed to break through Iran’s resilient defence.

Boosted by an LA crowd largely in their corner, Iran repelled waves of attacks to share the points, with goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand making seven saves.

In a frustrating game where they dominated possession, Belgium were reduced to 10 men after Nathan Ngoy was shown a red card for hauling down Mehdi Taremi, who was through on goal, in the second half.

The result means all three games so far in Group G have ended in draws.

Stuck on two points, Belgium at least have the comfort of playing the tournament’s lowest-ranked team, New Zealand, in their final group game.

Iran will also need at least a point against Egypt next Friday. Having been frustrated by visa issues as they travel from their base camp in Mexico to games in the US, Team Melli will hope to focus on the football as travel restrictions are reportedly eased for their crucial trip to Seattle.

Having switched to a back five, Iran sat deep in the first half, allowing Belgium to dominate possession and to play hundreds of passes around their penalty area without creating any clear-cut opportunities. After the break, Belgium continued to huff and puff while Taremi nearly scored at the other end. But disaster struck for Belgium as Ngoy was sent off. The center-back had badly underhit a pass back to Courtois, and raised his arm into Taremi as the striker raced through on goal.

The game finally settled into a nervous, scrappy stalemate.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2026