Belgium remains winless in the 2026 World Cup after a 0-0 draw with Iran, marred by Nathan Ngoy's red card and missed opportunities, despite Thibaut Courtois's goalkeeping heroics.
Belgium's quest for their first victory in the 2026 World Cup continues as they were held to a goalless draw against Iran on Sunday. The match saw Nathan Ngoy receive a red card, which dashed any hopes of a late goal for Rudi Garcia's team, who were already struggling to find scoring opportunities in the absence of the injured Jeremy Doku.
Throughout the first half, Belgium maintained a dominant presence in terms of possession and territory. However, they relied heavily on goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who displayed exceptional reflexes, particularly in stopping a shot from Hossein Kanaani. Meanwhile, Mehdi Taremi had a potential goal disallowed by VAR due to a narrow offside decision.
On the offensive front, Youri Tielemans and Maxim De Cuyper both tested Iran's goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, but Belgium found it difficult to create clear chances close to the goal.
As the second half commenced, Courtois was forced to remain vigilant, deflecting a shot from Taremi. Beiranvand, however, pulled off a remarkable save against De Cuyper, who was in a prime position after a cross from Kevin De Bruyne that was not effectively cleared.
Midway through the second half, Belgium's situation worsened when Ngoy, after misplaying a back-pass, dragged down Taremi as he approached the goal, resulting in a red card for Ngoy. Despite being a man down, Belgium came close to scoring again when De Cuyper was once more thwarted by Beiranvand.
This draw leaves Belgium with just two points from their first two matches, which means they must secure a victory against New Zealand on Friday to advance to the knockout stage.
In terms of player performance, GOAL rated Belgium's players as follows: Courtois was praised for his world-class reactions, successfully stopping attempts from both Kanaani and Taremi, although he might have hoped for a better outcome on Taremi's disallowed goal.
De Cuyper was noted for delivering dangerous crosses early on but faded as the match progressed, while Ngoy's earlier composed performance was overshadowed by his costly mistake leading to his red card.
Some players, like Tielemans, came close to scoring with attempts that tested Beiranvand, while others struggled to maintain an offensive presence.
The match highlighted the challenges faced by Belgium in the absence of key player Doku and raised questions about the effectiveness of substitutes like Raskin and Saelemaekers.
With Lukaku's underwhelming performance and a lack of impactful substitutions, Belgium must regroup and perform better in their upcoming match to secure progression in the tournament.
